There may have been no World Cup matches today, but that hasn’t stopped the news cycle. Fans and pundits discuss Gareth Southgate’s future and both Lionel Scaloni and Zlatko Dalić have held their press conferences ahead of tomorrow’s meeting. Here’s the latest from Qatar as the tournament enters its final week.
Southgate’s future divides opinion
Social media has been awash with people discussing the future of the current England manager, who has said he needs some time to consider whether he wants to continue as Three Lions boss.
"I've found large parts of the last 18 months difficult," the boss admitted after the defeat to France. "For everything that I've loved about the last few weeks, I still have how things have been for 18 months - what's been said and what's been written, the night at Wolves.
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"There are lots of things in my head that are really conflicted at the moment, so what I want to make sure, if it's the right thing to stay, is that I've definitely got the energy to do that."
His decision and that defeat to France has divided opinion. For some, the result is just another sign that the England manager struggles in big games, yet the attacking performance and unfortunate nature of the defeat suggest he should be given the chance to lead the team into Euro 2024.
We are part of the latter, given the job he has done with the national team, but if Southgate wants to leave with his reputation intact - who can blame him.
Scaloni unfazed by disciplinary issues
Away from England, there’s the small matter of a World Cup semi-final to come on Tuesday night. Argentina face Croatia and manager Scaloni was keen to direct attention away from the disciplinary issues his side suffered in their ill-tempered last eight clash with the Netherlands.
"The previous game was played the way we had to play it - from both teams - and that's football,” he told journalists at his pre-match press conference. “Some games can happen, there can be arguments. That's why there is a referee. We need to put an end to this idea of Argentina not being good winners. We won the Copa America in Brazil with the most sporting behaviour. I am not convinced by this idea. We need to show our pride."
"All Argentinians are hopeful. We play for all of our people. We are so appreciative of the Argentina fans, we know how much it costs to come all the way over here. We know what is expected of us. Regarding Croatia, they have a specific style and I don't think they will change that."
He also spoke about Lionel Messi, who could play his last World Cup match tomorrow. However, nothing has been decided yet, and Scaloni himself is hopeful this won’t be the end for Messi.
“We will see if he decides to continue playing or not and if we can continue enjoying watching him play football. Our whole country is backing us but there is a long way to go. We need to focus entirely on tomorrow's match, it will be a tough one."
Zlatko Dalic not looking at history
These two nations actually met in the group stage of the 2018 and Croatia smashed Argentina 3-0, as Dalic’s side went all the way to the final. Not much has changed in his squad since then, while Argentina have changed almost everything.
"This 2018 match has nothing to do with tomorrow's match. It is a great match for both countries. The stakes are high for both teams. Tomorrow, none of us will spare any effort. I expect a solid, dynamic and fair game from both sides."
This is the second World Cup in a row that Croatia have made the semi-finals and they’ll be hoping to repeat their trick of 2018 by making the showpiece event on Sunday.
“We are among the four best teams in the world. That is an extraordinary success for Croatia. However, we want more.
"We are playing the great Argentina, a terrific team led by Lionel Messi. We have analysed our opponent and we know how they play, where they want to take the game. I am an optimist by nature, I trust my players. They have great character and they would not have made the semi-finals without that.
"We have played extra time in two matches but we are in the semi-finals of the World Cup so we are not discussing exhaustion. We have strength, willingness and energy. We will give our best. We have recovered after each match."
