Alexei Lalas has become the sharpest voice around England and Argentina because he is not even hiding the contradiction. He says England are “very good” and “likeable”, then says he wants the most crushing possible end to their run, whether that comes in the semifinal or the final.
Lalas told mirror.co.uk: "England coming over to our shores, on our 250th birthday, and them winning a World Cup after 60 years... we cannot have that happen." He followed that with a softer read on the team itself: "The problem is that this England team is very good and dare I say this... even likeable."
England's build-up details
The match has already had its practical details fixed. England will wear white and Argentina navy blue after a special request to FIFA, and the referee has been confirmed as American official Ismail Elfath.
The wider picture is slightly noisy, but those are the facts on the game itself. Four teams remain at the World Cup, with France facing Spain on Tuesday night before England meet Argentina for a place in Sunday's final.
Declan Rice is also part of the England backdrop after being forced off early against Norway with suspected food poisoning. The data around his recent World Cup performances still looks solid, with 353 minutes across his last four appearances and England's last five World Cup games returning four wins and one draw.
France's separate subplot
The France thread runs on different lines. Warren Zaire-Emery said, "The French team has players from different backgrounds and origins, as does the country. We are a united group, a united team, and that's all that matters."
Adrien Rabiot was just as direct about Spain: "There is no anti-Lamine Yamal plan. We are focused on the Spanish team, not on a single player." France have won five from five in their recent World Cup run, while Lamine Yamal has scored 4 goals in his last 5 matches.
Lalas's line is the most revealing one in the whole round-up. He clearly respects this England side, but he still wants the story to end badly for them, which is exactly why the Argentina game has picked up so much edge before kick-off.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →