How England can stop Lionel Messi: Thomas Tuchel's blueprint for World Cup success

Despite making implicit 200 appearances for Argentina and becoming their all-time starring goalscorer with 125 goals, Lionel Messi has ne'er faced England at elder planetary level.

That volition each alteration connected Wednesday nighttime erstwhile Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions spell head-to-head with Lionel Scaloni's La Seleccion successful the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Both sides were pushed into other clip during their quarter-final victories, with England narrowly edging past Norway 2-1 portion Argentina overcame 10-man Switzerland 3-1.

Throughout World Cup history, England person faced immoderate of the top players the crippled has ever produced, but they present look possibly their toughest situation yet arsenic they hole to halt 1 of football's top ever talents.

Here, Sports Mole looks astatine however England tin effort to incorporate Messi and which members of Tuchel's squad person already travel up against him. 

The England players who person already faced Lionel Messi

Unfortunately for England, lone a tiny fig of Tuchel's squad person erstwhile acquisition of sharing the transportation with Messi astatine nine level.

Harry Kane 

England skipper Harry Kane came up against Messi during his Tottenham Hotspur days, erstwhile Spurs were drawn against Barcelona successful the 2018-19 Champions League radical stage.

The archetypal gathering astatine Wembley saw some forwards find the net, though Messi was the decisive fig arsenic helium scored doubly to assistance Barcelona unafraid a 4-2 victory.

The brace met again astatine Camp Nou aboriginal that year, with Tottenham needing a effect to advancement to the knockout stages. Despite Messi featuring from the bench, Spurs earned a important constituent acknowledgment to Lucas Moura's precocious equaliser, securing their spot successful the past 16 earlier yet reaching the final.

Kane truthful knows first-hand the situation of facing Messi, but besides has acquisition of getting a affirmative effect against the Argentine icon.

John Stones 

John Stones has faced Messi connected aggregate occasions during his clip with Manchester City, with the England defender progressive successful 2 Champions League meetings against Barcelona during the 2016-17 campaign.

The archetypal brushwood ended successful a nightmare evening for Pep Guardiola's broadside arsenic Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 triumph astatine Camp Nou, with Messi producing a sensational hat-trick.

However, Stones and City responded successful the instrumentality fixture astatine the Etihad Stadium, winning 3-1 contempt Messi opening the scoring for the visitors.

The Argentine near specified an content connected Stones that, erstwhile asked astir the toughest hostile helium has faced, the defender named Messi arsenic the biggest situation of his career.

Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson has arguably enjoyed the champion memories of immoderate England subordinate who has antecedently faced Messi.

During his clip arsenic Liverpool captain, Henderson was portion of the broadside that produced 1 of the top Champions League comebacks of each time, overturning a 3-0 first-leg shortage against Barcelona with a celebrated 4-0 triumph astatine Anfield successful 2019.

Messi had scored doubly successful the archetypal leg, including a stunning escaped kick, but Henderson helped Liverpool wholly nullify Barcelona's attacking menace successful the instrumentality fixture arsenic they reached the final.

The midfielder went connected to assistance the Champions League trophy weeks later, meaning helium is 1 of the fewer England players heading into Wednesday's semi-final with affirmative memories of facing Messi.

What England tin larn from Switzerland's attack to Messi

Unsurprisingly, precise fewer teams person recovered a mode to wholly halt Lionel Messi astatine the 2026 World Cup.

The Argentina skipper is level with France's Kylian Mbappe astatine the apical of the tourney scoring charts with 8 goals successful six matches, averaging a extremity each 66 minutes truthful far.

However, Switzerland provided England with a glimpse of a imaginable blueprint aft becoming the archetypal broadside to forestall Messi from scoring astatine this summer's tournament.

The Swiss took Argentina each the mode to other clip successful their quarter-final clash, holding Lionel Scaloni's broadside to a 1-1 gully aft 90 minutes earlier Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez yet ended their hopes with precocious goals.

Messi inactive made his people aboriginal on, mounting up Argentina's opener aft conscionable 10 minutes with his 10th World Cup assist, but Switzerland did an awesome occupation of limiting his power for the remainder of the contest.

The 39-year-old completed the afloat 120 minutes but managed conscionable 1 changeable connected people passim the game, portion Gregor Kobel became the archetypal goalkeeper astatine this year's tourney to forestall Messi from uncovering the backmost of the net.

Switzerland's occurrence came from refusing to springiness Messi the abstraction to instrumentality power of the game, with Murat Yakin's broadside keeping their signifier and making it hard for Argentina's skipper to consistently run successful unsafe areas.

Argentina struggled to find their bushed for agelong periods, allowing Switzerland to turn into the contention and yet equalise done Nottingham Forest winger Dan Ndoye.

How England tin replicate Switzerland's plan

England volition besides instrumentality encouragement from the information Messi has present played 3 matches requiring other clip successful the knockout stages, completing 120 minutes against Switzerland conscionable days aft different 90-minute outing successful the erstwhile round.

Another origin Thomas Tuchel whitethorn see is Messi's enactment without the ball. Although helium remains 1 of the top attacking players successful history, Argentina's opponents person often looked to exploit the spaces near erstwhile helium is not tracking back.

For England, the situation volition beryllium uncovering the equilibrium betwixt respecting Messi's quality portion besides attacking the areas wherever helium tin beryllium exposed.

The tactical decisions that could determine England's semi-final

For each the absorption connected stopping Messi, England cannot spend to go wholly obsessed with 1 subordinate and let Argentina's different attacking threats to thrive.

Thomas Tuchel's biggest determination volition beryllium however assertive helium wants his broadside to beryllium without the ball.

Switzerland showed that keeping a compact signifier and limiting the abstraction Messi tin run successful tin frustrate Argentina, with the Swiss seldom allowing him to person the shot successful unsafe cardinal areas.

England could look to replicate that attack by utilizing a disciplined midfield structure, with Declan Rice, should helium play, and the players astir him tasked with preventing Messi from turning and driving astatine the defence.

However, Tuchel volition besides cognize that sitting excessively heavy for 90 minutes invites unit from 1 of the astir unsafe attacks successful satellite football.

While Messi remains 1 of the top attacking players successful history, his deficiency of antiaircraft enactment complaint could springiness the Three Lions opportunities to people the spaces near down him erstwhile Argentina suffer possession.

England's wide players could beryllium cardinal successful this regard, with the quality to pin Messi backmost and unit him to lend much defensively than helium would ideally privation to.

Finding the close equilibrium betwixt respecting Messi's prime and inactive imposing their ain crippled could yet determine whether England scope their archetypal World Cup last since 1966.