How England SHOULD line up in massive World Cup semi-final against Argentina: Thomas Tuchel should consider a whole new right-hand side to help secure spot in the final

The Albiceleste have not played particularly well this tournament, and, much like England, have relied on their singular star player to get the job done in big moments. Yet they have a tendency to turn it on when it really matters. After all, this is mostly the same squad that won two mightily close finals in the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa America. Also, write off big-game Messi at your peril.

So, how do England confront that? The good news is that the squad is pretty close to full strength. Declan Rice should be fit. Bukayo Saka is showing a little more life. And, yeah, that Jude Bellingham guy is doing ok for himself, too. So, GOAL has once again gone all Football Manager by deciding who should start for Thomas Tuchel's England in their massive World Cup semi-final showdown with old rivals Argentina...

Jordan Pickford has gone from having a poor tournament to a pretty convincing one. His performance at the Azteca will go down in English legend. And, in truth, he has always delivered when England needed him.

If we're being a bit harsh, it was disappointing to see him misjudge the cross/shot that led to Norway's opener. But if he had saved that, the rhetoric would have been "What a save, Jordan!" In the team, no qualms.

He's back! Tuchel entrusted Reece James with a decent spell against Norway. He managed nearly 50 minutes in his recovery from a hamstring injury, and offered help at both centre-midfield and right-back.

James' introduction was vital, in the end, as it gave England some desperately needed control. Whether he can do a full 90 remains to be seen, but England have an energised Djed Spence waiting in the wings anyway.

There have been questions about Nico O'Reilly's defensive chops all tournament. Well, how about marking Lionel Messi? The Argentine has drifted out to the right in recent games, and O'Reilly will certainly be asked to chip in against the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner - if not take centre stage. It will be his biggest test yet - and England will hope it's one he's up for.

The unsung hero of the Norway fixture, Elliot Anderson held down the centre while tons of pieces moved around him. He did a truly excellent job in selling a Haaland foul in the lead up to what might have been Norway's winning goal, too. Finally, we are seeing why City paid the big bucks for him.

It was revealed after the Norway game that Rice had spent most of the previous three days in bed recovering from an illness. He, thus, deserves great credit for getting through 45 minutes before Tuchel made the brave call to remove him at half time.

Rice should be ready to go by Wednesday, though, meaning England will have the beating heart of their midfield back. This is surely the biggest game of Rice's England career.

Time to see how much England can get out of Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal man looks permanently injured, and even if he provided a handy assist against Mexico, it's almost actively stressful to watch him run. But he will have to here - if only because his defensive contributions will be so, so important.

After a rough one against Ghana where Anthony Gordon probably got a bit too much stick, he deserves a start here. Gordon was excellent at the Azteca, impactful against Norway, and has shown that he can be a more impactful all-rounder than Marcus Rashford - even if Barcelona's former left winger is a better finisher than their new left winger.

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