When you reach the semi-finals, you must know how to endure" - coach Lionel Scaloni shared. However, the question is whether Argentina has to endure too much on this journey?
The defending champions needed extra time to overcome Switzerland, who had previously struggled to defeat Cabo Verde and created a comeback against Egypt. Their path to the semi-finals is therefore covered with challenges.
After the victory against Switzerland, Scaloni repeatedly emphasized the reason why the match became difficult, and at the same time revealed the issue that could affect the match against England in the semi-finals: fitness.
"In terms of physique, they are a very strong team.We have many difficulties in tackles.Switzerland is superior in terms of fitness" - the Argentine strategist admitted.
Perhaps this is also a point where Argentina is not really outstanding. Scaloni's team still shows admirable endurance and fighting spirit when continuously scoring goals at decisive moments. However, physical strength is another story.
Their most famous person, Lionel Messi, has long been not highly rated for his physique. At nearly 40 years old, this superstar spends most of his time walking, observing and waiting for opportunities, instead of constantly moving at high intensity.
But the problem is not Messi. It is worth mentioning that his teammates have not yet filled the physical gap. According to FIFA statistics, Argentina is only ranked 10th in the number of sprints, although they have played more than the 3 teams behind them. Notably, they are ranked last out of 48 participating teams in terms of average speed.
Messi is ranked 580th in the average speed ranking of players at the tournament. Even Cristiano Ronaldo is ranked higher, at 501st. Behind Messi are mainly goalkeepers or center-backs, positions that do not have to move much. That is not to criticize Messi, but to show that the players around him have not created enough exercise intensity to compensate.
That is the difference compared to England. Jude Bellingham is currently ranked second in the entire tournament in terms of sprint times, while Enzo Fernandez is the highest-ranked Argentine player but only ranked 19th. In addition, about 20 other players are ranked above all members of Argentina in statistics of high-intensity sprints.
In the distance travel index, two Swiss midfielders Remo Freuler and Granit Xhaka lead the tournament. Alexis Mac Allister is the only Argentine player to be in the top 20 group.
These numbers partly explain why Argentina had many difficulties in taking advantage of the numerical advantage after Breel Embolo received a red card. Despite playing with more players for nearly an hour, including added time, they could only finish off Switzerland in the last 10 minutes of extra time.
That is what England will definitely pay attention to. Thomas Tuchel always asks his players to maintain high speed and strong competition intensity. Argentina may therefore encounter many troubles against the energetic playing style of the "Three Lions".
Cabo Verde and Egypt both caused no small difficulties for Argentina with fast counter-attacks. Every time they pushed up the squad, the defending champion often fell into one-on-one situations where they did not always win.
Putting Leandro Paredes in the starting lineup is considered a solution to increase certainty in the face of quick counter-attacks. However, this option has not been as effective as expected in the match against Egypt.
Arranging many players around Messi also caused Argentina to reveal gaps on both wings. Many of their goals conceded originated from situations where the opponent exploited the gaps outside the wing after passing through Argentina's crowded central area.
This could be a fulcrum for the England team to exploit, especially when Tuchel always requires wingers to create maximum width and push the counter-attack speed up.
Of course, the "Three Lions" also did not have a perfect physical foundation. Declan Rice was affected by a hamstring injury and then continued to be sick. Bukayo Saka and Reece James respectively had problems with Achilles tendons and hamstrings, while John Stones' condition is still a question mark. Like Argentina, England also just experienced 120 minutes of tension in the quarter-finals.
