Thomas Tuchel has welcomed reports of Argentina making a 'special request' to wear navy blue against England, suggesting he 'would have done the same' if it is deemed a 'lucky shirt'. The England manager responded after Argentine journalist Gaston Edul reported that Lionel Scaloni's camp had asked FIFA to play in their second strip for the World Cup semi-final in Atlanta.
Argentina's Superstitious Switch
Argentina, the holders, have played in their famous light blue and white strip in all but one of their six opening contests at the World Cup, only donning their darker shade for their group-stage victory over Jordan. Lionel Messi and Co were wearing their iconic stripes at the weekend as they edged out quarter-final opponents Switzerland in extra-time. However, for tonight's showdown with old rivals England, they have requested navy blue – the colour worn by Diego Maradona in the 1986 'Hand of God' match and also when they eliminated England in 1998, the game in which David Beckham was sent off.
FIFA's official Match Colour Designation release confirms that Argentina have been given the green light to wear their second strip, with accompanying white shorts and red socks, while the Three Lions will play in white.
Tuchel's Reaction
'You talk to the one person who was not aware until tomorrow's warm-up of what colour we play in,' Tuchel said. 'Argentina plays in blue? And we play in white? And that is because Argentina is superstitious or it is a lucky shirt? They chose this? I would have done the same. If there was any superstition combined with it, I would have done the same.'
The German added: 'Credit to them, I was not aware of that.' Prone to superstition himself, Tuchel insists such beliefs and acts are 'normal' in elite sport. 'I have my superstitious routines. I will not tell you [what they are] because another superstition is that if I tell you, it will not work so I can’t. But of course we have routines that keep you grounded and calm through the day. These things are just normal in high-level sport.'
England's Preparation
According to Tuchel, there has been a noticeable 'switch of energy' within the England camp in the build-up to the semi-final. 'We want to take the next step,' he explained. 'I like the switch of energy in our camp. I feel the players are very excited. I feel they’re very ambitious for this semi-final. No one is satisfied and that’s exactly the right mixture to have the performance that we need for tomorrow.'
There have been lingering concerns over the fitness of England vice-captain Declan Rice, who was replaced at half-time versus Norway after suffering with an illness. But the Arsenal midfielder has made 'as good a recovery as possible' and is ready to start, along with Reece James. Jarell Quansah is serving the second game of a two-match suspension, while Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a broken arm. 'Everyone is fit to start, except Jarell and Jordan [Henderson],' Tuchel said. 'Declan is ready to start and [had] as good a recovery as possible.'
Looking Ahead
England will face Spain in the final should they overcome Argentina, with La Roja defeating France to advance. It would be a repeat of the Euro 2024 final, when Mikel Oyarzabal's late goal steered Spain to a 2-1 victory in Berlin. 'This is unbelievable,' Tuchel said of Spain's semi-final win. 'It seems like they cannot lose any knockout matches with him [De La Fuente], so what he does to this group is outstanding. They play with a clear trademark. I didn’t see a lot of them because either we are in training or in buses or in planes so I didn’t see a lot of them today. I saw one half and that was very impressive. Congratulations, full credit to them, the coach and his staff. A brilliant achievement and hopefully we can follow the effort.'
