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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is set to make significant tactical adjustments ahead of their World Cup 2026 semi-final against England in a bid to take the tango dancers to a second final and move closer to their fourth ever title.
The Sports Bible website reports from Argentinian newspaper Ole that Scalloni has tried two different tactics in training and is considering a change in style and starting line-up to face England after his side struggled in the qualifiers despite going on to win.
Argentina advanced to the semi-finals, defeating Cape Verde and Switzerland after two overtimes. He also needed a late surge against Egypt in the Round of 16 when he scored three goals in 13 minutes.
For many periods of the tournament, Argentina relied on creative individual moments from their captain Lionel Messi, who at the age of thirty-nine is participating in his sixth World Cup and is the top scorer with eight goals this season in what is likely to be his last appearance at the tournament.
Enzo Fernandez and Julián Alvarez also played a decisive role in the team’s journey, but the collective performance did not reach a convincing level, prompting the technical staff to consider changes before facing England.
The average age of Argentina’s players is 29, while the team suffers from a distinct lack of wingers, forcing Scaloni to rely on a midfield four of Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Pol, Alexis McAllister and Leandro Paredes, while giving Messi the freedom to move in an attacking third.
Even though Messi covered a lot of distance during the tournament, as he covered about 47% of the total distance covered, he is still the top scorer in the current World Cup.
Reports suggest that Scalloni could start Giuliano Simeone or Thiago Almada instead of relying on the attacking duo of Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez in an attempt to give the team a different attacking solution, while names such as Nico Paz, Nico Gonzalez and Valentin Barco remain among the options on offer.
