Lineker questions Tuchel's tactics: Why no man-marking on Messi?

Published Jul 17, 07:37 AM UTC

In a World Cup semi-final match, Lionel Messi provided two assists as Argentina defeated England 2-1 to advance to the final. During a post-match analysis program featuring several football legends, Gary Lineker questioned England manager Thomas Tuchel's defensive tactics. Lineker expressed confusion over why Tuchel's team, despite sitting deep with a five-man defense, did not assign a player to closely mark Messi, whom he called 'the greatest player of all time.' Lineker noted that Messi had too much space to drive forward and deliver passes into the box. Joe Cole added praise for Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, highlighting his team's three consecutive tournament titles and two straight World Cup finals appearances, suggesting they could be the greatest team in history if they win again.