Former Liverpool star John Arne Riise has warned England that they will probably try in vain to stop Argentina’s magic man Lionel Messi on Wednesday night (8pm kick-off UK time).
The two sides face each other in a World Cup 2026 semi-final in Atlanta, knowing Spain are waiting for the victors having toppled France 2-0 on Tuesday to reach Sunday’s final in New York.
And Riise thinks after 25 years, there is no real solution to dealing with the threat of Argentina talisman Messi, who has netted eight goals in the tournament so far.
Still trying to stop Messi
During an exclusive chat with BestBettingSites, Riise said: “People have been trying for 20 years to deal with Messi, and they’re still trying.
“Try your best – that’s all you can say.
“The closer you get to the final, the more Messi can take control of the game and show what he’s capable of.
“He’s the man to stop. But it seems impossible to stop him; it’s been like that for 20 or 25 years.”
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Make a plan for Messi
Former England defender Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, says Thomas Tuchel’s team will be “coming up against arguably the greatest player of all time” when they face Messi.
The Three Lions saw off Norway in a battling 2-1 win in the quarter-finals of World Cup 2026 on the night of Saturday, July 11 – and now they face Messi and co in the semis.
Carragher knows England need to make a plan to contain the threat posed by the talismanic Messi, who has bagged eight goals in the tournament so far.
But the ex-Liverpool defender also says they should be looking to exploit Messi’s lacklustre defensive work when Argentina are out of possession.
“There has to be a plan. I don’t think it will be a man-marking job, but they need a plan,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“The players will be expecting that. It’s not admitting defeat in any way.”
Greatest player of all time
Carragher added: “You’re coming up against arguably the greatest player of all time. He has shown that in this tournament too.
“They should be thinking about how they can exploit Lionel Messi as well.
“He walks about when the opposition have got the ball, so that doesn’t mean England’s left-back should stand next to him for the whole of the game.
“They can exploit the fact that Argentina only defend with nine outfield players.”
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