By Lori Ewing
ATLANTA, July 14 (Reuters) – England manager Thomas Tuchel said his players were not dwelling on the rich and often controversial history between England and Argentina as they prepare for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, insisting the occasion itself is big enough.
The heavyweight clash features two of world football’s most storied nations, a fixture that has produced some of the World Cup’s most memorable matches.
But Tuchel said England’s preparation had centred on the game in front of them rather than the history behind it.
“I would say it’s irrelevant, but I’m not sure about it,” Tuchel told reporters on the eve of the semi-final.
“I think the players are very aware of both countries, what it means to them. If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, I think you cannot just say it’s just another football match.
“But as a coach, we do exactly that: focus on what we can influence. We don’t actually speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments. It’s in itself iconic enough, and attention is big enough.”
Instead, Tuchel said his staff were trying to simplify the message for players as the pressure ramps up, with the winners on Wednesday facing Spain in Sunday’s final.
“The bigger the stage gets, the bigger the tension grows,” he said. “So hopefully, we can simplify the messages enough that they can execute it.”
WEIGHT OF HISTORY
England are bidding to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years, since they lifted the trophy on home soil, but Tuchel rejected suggestions the weight of history had become a burden.
“I don’t feel a burden,” he said. “I will feel the nerves and the tension tomorrow. That just comes normal in these matches.”
What the German has sensed, however, is a squad eager for the challenge.
“What I really like in the last days is that the players are very competitive, they are very excited, they are hungry to play this match,” he said.
“The two (England and Argentina) shirts are just iconic. The historic matches are iconic. There are iconic moments, but everyone recognises these shirts. Straight away, everyone recognises the players.
“It is an absolute beauty in the magnitude of a match, in the magnitude of an occasion.”
Tuchel also brushed aside any thoughts about becoming the first foreign coach to guide any country to World Cup glory.
“It just doesn’t work like this for me,” he said. “I don’t have these kind of goals and don’t set these goals. I just love what I do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
He added that one of the joys of the World Cup was the chance to unite the country.
“I think that’s essentially what the World Cup is for — to excite the country, to excite fans and to transmit energy and make people forget their worries, make people’s lives better for 90, 120 minutes and be united and represented by a team,” he said.
“There’s so much to love about this England squad and I’m very glad that people feel it.”
EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED CONTEST
Tuchel expects an emotionally-charged contest against Argentina but stressed that England would not use the countries’ histories as motivational fuel.
“We know why we’re here. We know what we want,” he said. “We are in the semi-finals. We arrived very hungry in the semi-finals. We want to have the next win.
“We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events and we don’t make it bigger than it is. It’s a big football match, a big occasion.”
Argentina star Lionel Messi has dominated headlines ahead of the match, and Tuchel paid tribute to Argentina’s captain.
“Once Leo Messi has the ball, the movement starts, and just the technical execution of the delivery and of the supply of Messi is on the absolutely highest level,” he said.
“So there’s a lot to take care of, but we are here to impose our style, to impose our strengths.”
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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