Lionel Scaloni faces England semifinal with 'undiminished illusion'

Lionel Scaloni, coach of the Argentine national football team, described the team's mindset heading into the World Cup semifinal against England as one of "intact illusion," akin to their very first major tournament appearance. Despite the high stakes and the pressure of a semifinal match, Scaloni conveyed a sense of enjoyment and anticipation, stating that playing in such a game is "unique" and that the team is "equally happy, anxious, and animated" to perform for their fans.

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Playing a World Cup semifinal is something unique, it's as if we hadn't played any, we are equally happy, anxious, animated, to be able to give our people the enjoyment of seeing their team give their all and logically we have a rival in front of us that will make things difficult and we are expectant, but it is to be enjoyed.

Scaloni acknowledged that the team possesses experience from past tournaments, which he believes offers a slight advantage in managing the pressure. However, he also candidly admitted that the team has not yet displayed its best footballing performance in the current World Cup. "We need to recover playing football, with the ball, which is where we have always been strong," he stated, highlighting the need to return to their fluid and dominant style of play.

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We have some experience in these matches and that gives you the opportunity to be a little more relaxed, that's something we've earned.

The coach stressed that the team's "desire and ambition" are abundant, but the key to success lies in rediscovering their optimal form. He indicated that team selection will prioritize players in the best current condition, rather than relying solely on established names, especially with potential concerns over Rodrigo De Paul's availability. Scaloni's focus remains on ensuring the team plays its characteristic strong game to overcome the challenging opponent, England, and advance towards the final.

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The desire, the ambition, we have plenty of that. We need to recover playing football, with the ball, which is where we have always been strong, we have everything else. The desire to give everything until the last moment is there, we need the players who have led us to play great football to do it again.