Argentina vs England lineup rumors: Will this superstar be dropped to unleash Messi?

Argentina are reportedly set to make a bold tactical call for their highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final against England.

According to reports from Argentinian outlet Ol (via The Sun), the reigning champions are exploring a defensive reshuffle that could see midfielder Rodrigo De Paul dropped from the starting XI. The intended goal behind this tweak is to grant Lionel Messi maximum attacking freedom at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

De Paul Out, Otamendi In?

De Paul has been instrumental in the engine room of this Argentina side in North America, starting five of their six matches to date. He featured primarily in their 4-3-3 group stage encounter, before playing on the right of a midfield duo in a 4-4-2 system in the knockout phase against Egypt (3-2) and Switzerland (3-1).

But if Lionel Scaloni’s recent training sessions are anything to go by, he’s leaning towards a change:

The system: A defensively robust 5-3-2 formation.

Who is out: Rodrigo De Paul (32).

Who is in: Experienced central defender Nicolas Otamendi joins Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez in a back three.

The midfield anchor: Leandro Paredes is favoured to protect the back line in tandem with Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, the latter two having been rewarded for string of strong performances.

The thinking: By reinforcing the defensive half with an extra player, the Argentinians hope to completely liberate Lionel Messi from defensive duties. This would allow the 39-year-old talisman, who has already bagged 8 goals and 2 assists in six games, to play further up the field with Julian Alvarez and escape the heavy tracking back that he’s often asked to do.

Thomas Tuchel Plans ‘Old-School’ Man Mark on Messi

England boss Thomas Tuchel knows all about the challenge posed by Messi and admits he is contemplating extreme tactics to neutralise him. Ahead of the showdown with Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, he revealed that he is considering something quite different to the approach used in England’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway, where he instructed his team to double team Erling Haaland.

“He is a very different player from Erling Haaland. I was thinking about it, whether we do an old-school man mark. Not sure if we follow through with the idea but it crossed my mind.” – Thomas Tuchel

Tuchel stated that while it is easy to isolate physical target men, Messi “sees things faster” and can find pockets of space instantly, making it a difficult proposition to deal with using a standard zonal defense.