ATLANTA — Marc Guéhi said all the pressure is on Argentina ahead of England’s semifinal against the reigning champions on Wednesday, while Ezri Konsa added the team must ignore the external noise over the rivalry between the two countries.
England landed here on Tuesday afternoon as they prepared to face Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and book a spot in the final against Spain. Much of the talk this week has been about the history of the fixture.
On the field, the two countries have played out some epic encounters, but they haven’t been without controversy. Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal in 1986 is still writ large in English football infamy, while David Beckham was sent off in their knockout match at the 1998 World Cup.
Off the field, tensions over the Falklands War in 1982 remain and Argentina still dispute the sovereignty of the British overseas territory, which it calls the Islas Malvinas.
But Konsa said the team is doing its best to tune out all the external noise around the fixture.
“We just have to focus on ourselves,” Konsa said. “Try and forget about the history behind it, not get too fueled up about it and go out there and do what we know we can do best.”
And for Guehi, he said the pressure is all on defending champions Argentina.
“There isn’t pressure on us,” Guehi said. “What’s the pressure? The onus is on them. They’re the World Champions. They need to come out, they need to defend their title. There’s no pressure on us at all.
“Everyone is excited, to be honest. The occasion, big players, everyone’s relishing the opportunity against them and looking forward to it.”
Konsa was also asked about whether there had been any fallout from Thomas Tuchel’s criticism of England’s performance in their win over Norway.
“We have a great group,” Konsa said. “We’re all together. There’s been no issues. In this tournament, mindset is the biggest thing. I think for us outside noise is always gonna happen. But you have to be able to block it out. We’ve been in the game a long time now, we know what comes of it.”
Konsa and Guehi are expected to start against Argentina on Wednesday and both will be fully aware of Lionel Messi’s threat. He has enjoyed a remarkable tournament, and is tied for the Golden Boot with Kylian Mbappe with eight goals at the World Cup. But Guehi has emphasised that Argentina are far more than a one-man team.
“He is a great player, probably one of the best, so we’re going to try and do our best [to stop him],” Guehi said. “But it’s not just him on the field. You’ve got other really good players on the team, but it’s important that we stay as focused as possible on ourselves and execute our game plan.”
If England beat Argentina, they will be in just their second World Cup final of all time after lifting the trophy in 1966. The final is on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
