Pickford backs England to keep cool against Argentina in World Cup semi-final

Jordan Pickford has insisted England will not be drawn into the kind of drama that has defined their most infamous meetings with Argentina, as the two nations prepare to meet in a World Cup semi-final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Thomas Tuchel’s side stand one win away from the first men’s World Cup final appearance since Sir Alf Ramsey’s team lifted the trophy in 1966. Reigning world champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, are the final obstacle between England and that historic occasion.

“I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles, we’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,” said Pickford, England’s all-time leading appearance maker at World Cups. “We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.”

The two nations have not met in a knockout fixture since the 1998 World Cup, when David Beckham was sent off for tripping Diego Simeone in a defeat that became one of English football’s most painful nights. Pickford is adamant the current squad carries a different mentality.

“Apart from Jarell [Quansah’s red card against Mexico], we’ve not had any suspensions, no second yellow cards or anything like that,” he added. “It just shows the mentality we have and we don’t get wrapped up in things like that. We stay focused, we stay together.”

Messi, 39, has been in formidable form throughout the tournament as Lionel Scaloni’s side navigated their way to the last four, but Pickford was keen to stress that England’s own attacking talent — including Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham — should not be overlooked.

“Everyone will talk about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs of the game,” Pickford said. “But you can’t look past the ability and the talent we’ve got in the squad — going forward, defensively, togetherness. We’ve got it all there and that’s what we need to put on show on Wednesday.”

England have reached the final of the last two European Championships, and Pickford made clear that the weight of history — from Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 to Beckham’s red card in 1998 — holds little sway over this group. The focus, he said, is entirely on the present.