Gary Neville and Roy Keane engaged in a heated exchange during the Stick to Football podcast, debating England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. The Three Lions, managed by Thomas Tuchel, saw their hopes dashed after taking a lead through Anthony Gordon in the second half, only for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to score late goals, securing Argentina's place in the final against Spain.
Neville Questions Tuchel's Tactics on Messi
Neville criticized Tuchel for not assigning a dedicated player to track Lionel Messi when he drifted to the right flank. "For some reason he [Tuchel] didn't just go and say to Nico O'Reilly, I don't care whoever else is inside you, stay with [Lionel] Messi when he drops outside you, do not let him go," Neville said. "Man mark him, and when he comes out here, force him to go back inside because if you go central, he can't cross it."
Keane Fires Back
Keane dismissed Neville's suggestion, arguing that opponents have tried to contain Messi for two decades without consistent success. "Listen to yourself. Just cool your jets," Keane retorted. "Do you not think teams have done that in the last 20 years? What makes him great? If you were marking Messi and it was getting towards the end, and remember they scored with five minutes to go, so whatever the 60-odd minutes."
Neville insisted it was possible to prevent Messi from receiving the ball in dangerous areas. "Stand next to him so he can't get it there," he said. Keane countered: "Football's not like that. You can't stand next to people."
Wright Mediates, Keane Points to Set-Piece Goal
Ian Wright attempted to bridge the divide, noting that Neville's point was about cutting off the supply to Messi. Keane highlighted that Argentina's first goal came from a corner, not from open play. "The first goal came from a corner. So that's nothing to do with Messi or space, that's players switching off," Keane said. Neville conceded that England's players lost focus in midfield, to which Keane added: "Of course, they switched off, but why do you switch off? Because your hands are on your knees, you're looking at each other, and you're blowing."
Despite the disagreement, both pundits acknowledged England's overall performance in the tournament, which concludes with a third-place play-off against France on Saturday.
