Gone are the days of England's superstar dressing room. Thomas Tuchel has built a side where the collective matters more than individual brilliance.
Yet, when England have needed rescuing, it has still been Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane answering the call.
Both Bellingham and Kane have scored six goals each and have been two big reasons behind England’s surge into the semi-finals. England might well have exited in the Round of 32 against DR Congo had it not been for the brilliance of Bellingham and Kane. That dependence also raises England's biggest question heading into the semifinal: can somebody else step up?
England’s defence, too, has been tested quite a bit and has allowed at least one goal in the last three games, including two against Mexico.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic because we're in the last four, but I'm not happy with the performance. The commitment was there, but we played too slowly, made too many technical mistakes and were sloppy,” Tuchel said despite England’s 2-1 win over Norway.
Bellingham hit back, saying, “Maybe he doesn’t really know what it’s like to play against such a team.” England did get past Mexico and Norway but not without its fair share of jitters, and with some question mark over Declan Rice’s fitness, the contest against Argentina could be vital in the larger scheme of things for the country.
It isn’t just a clash, either. The history between these two teams is quite intense, and daunting. Remember the days of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, when Diego Maradona scored twice, including ‘Hand of God’, and dazzled through the English defence like it did not exist in the first place? England’s icon, David Beckham was sent off for a nasty challenge on Diego Simeone later in the 1998 World Cup, which extended the rivalry between these two sides.
For the pure historians, your mind might go all the way back to the 1966 World Cup, the infamous ‘el robo del siglo’ (Theft of the century), when Antonio Rattin was sent off for arguing with the referee when the rule didn’t even exist back then. Despite the referee speaking no Spanish, Kreitlein had sent Rattin off because he did not like the way he looked at him, leading to a huge outcry.
History doesn't win football matches. But when England and Argentina meet, history has a habit of finding its way onto the pitch.
If you are still in a colonial hangover, then wohoo, ‘Come on England’. If your type of music is the Beatles, Oasis, then surely England should be your new best friend, cause there’s Hey Jude, Wonderwall, and Don’t Look Back in Anger, all blasted in full hilt. But please do support England if you are into crazy celebrations, love a toxic boss and certainly love David Beckham, cause he will be at the venue.
What to expect: Wonderwall, Bellingham and some crazy celebrations
ENGLAND
Group stages
June 18: 4-2 win vs Croatia
June 24: 0-0 draw vs Ghana
June 28: 2-0 win vs Panama
Knockout stages
July 1: Round of 32 – 2-1 win vs DR Congo
July 6: Round of 16 – 3-2 win vs Mexico
July 12: Quarter-finals – 2-1 win vs Norway