Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni says his side will lean on its experience in major tournaments as it prepares to face England on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final.
ATLANTA — Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni says his side will lean on its experience in major tournaments as it prepares to face England on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final.
The match will be Argentina's fifth semifinal in its last five major tournaments, with the team aiming for back-to-back World Cup titles after winning in Qatar in 2022.
"We have a little bit of experience playing these games. It doesn't necessarily give you an advantage, but perhaps it makes you calmer," Scaloni was quoted by Xinhua. "This is our fifth semifinal as a team and that puts us at ease. The guys are calm and ready for the game.
Scaloni said his side was preparing for England's individual threats, particularly Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, without departing from its own identity.
"We always seek to improve our team and neutralise these players in the best way possible. We might make changes, or we might repeat what we've done. The players don't know what the team is yet," he said. "We are facing two of the best players in the world, and any head coach would be happy to have them in their squad. We have our weapons, and we're going to do our best to neutralise them."
He added that Argentina would look to control possession while limiting England's chances to counter.
"The idea is to have the ball, and when we don't, not to suffer as much," Scaloni said. "They have great players with great pace and explosiveness, and guys who can beat you one-on-one. They have different features. We'd like to have the ball, and of course there are some nuances, and we'd like to try to surprise them as well."
Scaloni, who has led Argentina since 2018, guided the team to the Copa America semifinals in 2019 before winning the continental title in 2021 and 2024, in addition to Argentina's World Cup triumph four years ago.
The 48-year-old said he did not take his side's run to the semifinal for granted.
"I don't really know whether I thought I was going to be in this position. A month and a half ago I would have been grateful to get here, regardless of how. I would have signed off on that," he said. "We are very excited to be here. We're not looking at how we got here, we're here."
He said the achievement should be recognised even as the squad pushes for more.
"We've done so much and so many great things that we're used to it. But I want to be clear: we are satisfied and thankful for what we've done. But we will leave everything on the pitch tomorrow to advance."