Jesse Marschselector of Canadadid not spare praise this Monday for Argentinahis rival this Tuesday in the Copa America semi-final, and said that they will not do man-to-man marking Lionel Messi“We didn’t do well enough with Messi in the last game (the tournament opener). He was able to run free too much at our goalkeeper. We won’t be man-marking him (in the semifinal), but he will certainly be an emphasis on how we defend and our ability to track him will be very important,” he told a news conference at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which will host the semifinal on Tuesday.
“We have certain things we will try to do to make it difficult for them. We know that limiting their space is the number one priority. But we all know that he is the best who has ever played the game. With the respect we have for him, it is always a privilege to play against a player like him and our players are looking forward to it. They will be excited and the challenge is great. We will see if we can do a little bit better than the first game,” he added.
After sending Venezuela home on penalties in the quarterfinals, Canada is looking to pull off an upset and also get revenge against Argentina, who defeated them 2-0 in the opening match of this Copa América.
Jesse Marsch is taking Canada far and wide
The Albiceleste, the clear favourites in this semi-final and who will likely have the majority of the fans in the stadium on their side, won that match 2-0 with goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, but Canada left promising impressions despite the defeat. “I don’t want to reveal too much of our game plan, but we will have to be very good,” said Marsch. “We will have to be very compact and make sure we limit their spaces, with the ball we will have to play with confidence and we will have to be dynamic and use our speed and power,” he argued.
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In any case, the coach said he was aware of the formidable challenge they face with the current World Cup and Copa America champions and bowed to the talent and play of Scaloni’s pupils. “I love the way they play. They are aggressive. They go for the opposing team, they make you feel uncomfortable. They challenge you physically and compete for every pass on the field. They are great at pressing, they are incredible at set pieces. They have the one who, I believe, is now the best goalkeeper in the world. They defend well, they are good with the ball, they have intelligent players, they are dynamic, they are good in one-on-one, great finishers, winners, champions…”, he listed.
“I love their team, I love their team. And I’m very excited that we have the opportunity to be challenged in such a huge way by such a great team,” he concluded.
