Troy Deeney urges England to drop Nico O’Reilly for Argentina clash
Former striker Troy Deeney has urged England manager Thomas Tuchel to drop left-back Nico O’Reilly for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta.
The Three Lions secured a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Norway to set up the mouth-watering tie.
However, Deeney believes tactical changes are essential if the team is to successfully halt Lionel Messi’s title defence.
Spence backed to stop Messi
The talkSPORT pundit feels the Manchester City defender has underperformed and should be replaced by Djed Spence.
Deeney compared the youngster’s underwhelming tournament displays to those of Arsenal winger Noni Madueke.
“By the way, he’s [Nico O’Reilly] been getting away with murder,” Deeney said.
“I would probably have to go Djed Spence just to match him. And say to Djed Spence, ‘Just follow him. If he goes inside, go inside.'”
O’Reilly has featured in all six of the national team’s fixtures during this tournament.
In contrast, Spence has also made six appearances but has only been trusted from the start on two occasions.
Predictions of a comfortable victory
Despite his concerns over the left flank, the former Watford captain remains highly optimistic about the overall result.
England have historically struggled against elite opposition, never having defeated a top-four ranked nation at a major tournament.
Yet the outspoken pundit has completely reversed his earlier prediction that the European side would come unstuck against the South Americans.
“I actually think we batter them. Like 2-0, comfortable,” he declared.
“I’ve watched Argentina all the way through – they are older, they’re all over the place at the back, their centre midfielders are absolutely not controlling the game.”
Jude Bellingham will likely be crucial to exploiting those perceived weaknesses on Wednesday night.
The dynamic midfielder currently ranks among the tournament’s top statistical performers and proved vital in the recent quarter-final victory.