Thomas Tuchel has welcomed reports that Argentina made a 'special request' to wear navy blue against England, suggesting he 'would have done the same' if it is deemed a 'lucky shirt'. The reigning champions have played in their iconic light blue and white strip in all but one of their six World Cup matches so far, only switching to their darker kit for a group-stage win over Jordan.
Argentina seek superstitious edge
Lionel Messi and his teammates wore their famous stripes when they edged out Switzerland in extra-time during the quarter-finals, setting up a historic semi-final clash with England. However, Argentine journalist Gaston Edul reported that Lionel Scaloni's camp had asked FIFA for permission to wear navy blue in Atlanta. The color carries historical significance: Diego Maradona wore it when he scored the 'Hand of God' goal in 1986, and Argentina also wore navy blue when they eliminated England from the 1998 World Cup, a match remembered for David Beckham's red card.
FIFA's official Match Colour Designation confirmed that Argentina have been given the green light to wear their second strip, with white shorts and red socks. England will play in white.
Tuchel's reaction
Tuchel responded: 'You talk to the one person who was not aware until tomorrow's warm-up of what colour we play in. 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.'
Tuchel, who admits to having his own superstitious routines, said such beliefs 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 squad update
Tuchel confirmed that Declan Rice is fit to start after recovering from illness that saw him substituted at half-time against Norway. 'Everyone is fit to start, except Jarell [Quansah] and Jordan [Henderson],' Tuchel said. 'Declan is ready to start and [had] as good a recovery as possible.' Quansah is serving the second game of a two-match suspension after his red card against Mexico, while Henderson is out for the tournament with a broken arm.
The England manager noted a 'switch of energy' in the camp: 'We want to take the next step. 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.'
Potential final against Spain
If England overcome Argentina, they will face Spain in the final, a repeat of the Euro 2024 final which Spain won 2-1. Tuchel praised Spain's semi-final victory over France: 'This is unbelievable. 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.'
