New Delhi: Former England striker Robbie Fowler believes Spain’s hopes of lifting the FIFA World Cup 2026 trophy will hinge on how effectively they restrict Lionel Messi’s influence, saying La Roja must deny the Argentine captain time and space rather than focus solely on man-marking him.
Fowler said England’s semifinal performance offered valuable lessons on how to limit the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, particularly during the opening stages of the match.
“England, for a large portion, were in control. They stopped all the offensive Argentinian players from creating dangers, from getting into the channels and supporting the players in the final third,” Fowler, who is part of Zee5 FIFA WC 2026 expert panel, replied to an IANS query in a virtual roundtable.
According to Fowler, the objective should not simply be to stop Messi on the ball, but to prevent Argentina from creating the conditions that allow him to dictate play. “That’s how you deal with the attackers. It’s where you go when Messi’s got the ball, it’s where you go before he’s got the ball,” he explained.
However, Fowler admitted England’s approach began to unravel once Messi started dropping into deeper positions to receive possession.
“The problem England had was when he was dropping deep, and that allowed Messi to get on the ball because it created the space for him. We all know that if you give Messi any space, he can capitalise and cause danger,” he said.
The former Liverpool striker stressed that Spain will need every player to contribute defensively if they are to keep Argentina’s captain quiet.
“To stop Argentina, maybe you’ve got to play the way England did early in the game. But you’ve got to have players who are prepared to put in the hard yards, block channels, track runners, and not allow Messi to get on the ball,” Fowler added.
While much of the focus will be on containing Messi, Fowler also backed Spain’s evolved playing style to trouble Argentina, insisting the current side has moved beyond the traditional tiki-taka philosophy.
“Everyone goes on about the tiki-taka, but I don’t think this is the tiki-taka of Spain that we’ve seen in the past. They are still a possession-based team, but what I love about Spain at the minute is it’s possession in the right way, it’s possession in the right spaces. There’s a purpose to how they play,” he said.
Fowler added that Spain’s ability to play through the press and attack quickly in transition makes them a different proposition from previous generations. “They can break the press with a simple pass through to Rodri or Dani Olmo. They still play possession football, but I think there’s much more directness to the way they play now,” he added.
(IANS)
