Argentina Identifies Two England Stars to Watch Out For – And It's Not Kane or Bellingham

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have rightly garnered most of the praise for England's World Cup campaign so far, but the Argentine press has warned their team about two other key players to watch out for. These two have been England's leading figures, accounting for 12 of the team's 13 goals. This includes both of Bellingham's goals in Saturday's 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the quarter-finals.

England and Argentina are set to clash in the second semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta (10:00 PM Bulgarian time), with the winner facing Spain in Sunday's final.

While their qualities are deservedly recognized, Argentine media are wary of other threats emanating from Thomas Tuchel's squad. Despite the accolades for Bellingham and Kane, the publication "Clarín" identifies Declan Rice as one of the players the reigning world champions must neutralize. In their piece on the Arsenal star, they write: "Rice is the balance. He protects the center-backs, covers for the full-backs' runs, and dictates the build-up play."

The other player "Clarín" highlights? Elliott Anderson.

"Anderson is the thread that connects the pieces," they describe the anticipated future Manchester City signing. "He finds space, receives the ball, turns, and is available again."

The publication doesn't stop there with its analysis of Tuchel's midfield, explaining what Lionel Scaloni's team needs to do if they want to reach a second consecutive World Cup final.

"This could be one of the keys for Argentina. Scaloni will need to press not only the center-backs but also Rice and Anderson. The goal will be to prevent them from receiving the ball facing forward. Julián Álvarez can orchestrate the build-up. [Rodrigo] De Paul, Enzo Fernández, or [Alexis] Mac Allister will need to press the midfielders. [Lionel] Messi, from a freer position, can block the backward pass or wait for the opportune moment to receive the ball behind the double pivot. Argentina will also need to minimize turnovers in midfield. England is very dangerous when they win the ball near Rice and Anderson and can quickly launch attacks down their wings. A lost ball in the center could turn into a breakthrough for [Anthony] Gordon, a diagonal run from [Bukayo] Saka, or a Bellingham dribble. The best way to neutralize England will be to force them to attack from static positions, close off central spaces, and push them into long crosses," the publication adds.