Barry urges England to unleash Premier League power in second half against Argentina

England assistant manager Anthony Barry urged his side to convert their physical superiority into clear-cut chances in the second half of their World Cup semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta, after a goalless and foul-riddled opening 45 minutes.

The first half was one of the most subdued in World Cup knockout history, with just three shots recorded across both teams. It took 33 minutes — the longest wait for a shot in any World Cup match — before John Stones headed wide from an England free kick.

Speaking at half-time, Barry acknowledged that Argentina had grown into the game after an early water break disrupted England’s rhythm. “I think it worked up until the water break, from there it gets a little bit more difficult for us to catch the ball,” he said. “They drop Messi outside our block, they drop Enzo outside the block, it’s more difficult for us.”

Barry was clear about the tactical shift required. “I think for us to evolve in the game is to take this dominance and turn it into some bigger chances. We’ve had some okay chances, some half chances but I think the more time we spend in the opponent’s half the more tired they will get. We’ll use our Premier League power and our physicality, and I think we can open them up later on.”

He also stressed the importance of England’s mentality going into the contest. “We wanted to be the aggressor, we wanted to be on the front foot, we wanted to get after them, we wanted to show our players that there was no inferiority complex, that we were here to play and play in the opponent’s half.”

The second half began with an immediate test for England, as Julian Alvarez forced Jordan Pickford into a low save to his left shortly after the restart.

The winner of the semi-final will face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday 19 July.