England players are projecting confidence and a lack of pressure as they prepare to face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final, despite the historical significance of the match. Defender Marc Guehi asserted that the responsibility lies with Argentina, the defending champions, to perform.
"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."
England has advanced to this stage following victories over Mexico and Norway, the latter requiring extra time. Argentina has also progressed through the knockout stages, aiming to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup trophy.
Further underscoring the team's relaxed approach, defender Ezri Konsa disclosed that England had not yet formally watched footage of their upcoming opponents. He indicated that this analysis would occur in a final team meeting before the Wednesday tie against Argentina, which features star player Lionel Messi.
"We haven't managed to watch any of their games," Konsa stated. "I'm sure when we have the meeting we'll see some clips of them and see what we can do to overcome them. I'm sure they've got a great mindset, great mentality, and so do we. We know that they have great players, world class players, but so do we."
Konsa added that the team's strategy prioritizes self-focus. "I think for us the main thing is focusing on ourselves. We don't want to focus too much on them. We know what they have and we know what we have."
Manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly assured the squad that a plan is in place to counter Messi, who is currently joint top scorer in the tournament. Guehi expressed belief in England's capabilities, citing their resilience shown in previous matches, particularly against Norway.
"It resonates massively with each and every one of us," Guehi commented on the team's performance. "I think you can see that moments have been hard on the pitch but no one has been flustered by it. Everyone has been super calm, looking at one another and almost (with) one mind. From day one in the first camp, the manager's message has been brotherhood, being there for each other, supporting each other. And it comes out in the most difficult moments and we've seen that across the tournament. We've shown good resilience. We'll just carry on riding this wave and see."
