Marsh and Canada eye chance of ‘special win’ against Argentina

Marsh and Canada eye chance of ‘special win’ against Argentina

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States, July 9, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – Canada faces one of the biggest matches in soccer history on Tuesday when it takes on world champions Argentina in the Copa America semi-finals, with coach Jesse Marsch aiming for a “special win.”

American Marsch only took over Canada in May and led them on an impressive run to the last four in their first appearance in the Copa Amerca.

But true to his optimistic, positive approach, the former Leeds United and RB Leipzig manager says there is no question of him or his team being pleased or impressed by the event.

“I am fully focused on giving our team not only a chance for a special experience, but also for a really special victory,” Marsch told a news conference.

Canada lost 2-0 to Argentina in their opening match of the tournament, but Marsh believes they have made progress in many areas since that match in Atlanta on June 20.

“If you just look at the number of days we’ve been together, it’s almost like the 18 days we’ve spent together since then is double the time we’ve spent together,” he said.

“We have invested that time to make sure we are tactically clear, that the relationships on the pitch are clear and that we understand better how to deal with all the moments,” he said.

“I think we have developed and we have more confidence in the roles we play and the tactical way we play,” he added.

Canada exceeded expectations by exiting Group A to South Americans Chile and Peru, before surprisingly winning their quarterfinal against Venezuela on penalties.

One key area where Marshall would like to see a major improvement is in the way they handle Lionel Messi.

“We didn’t do well enough with Messi in the previous game and he was able to run too much freely towards our keeper. We won’t be marking him but he will be an important part of how we defend and our ability to keep an eye on him will be very important,” Marsch said.

“We have a number of things we will try to make it difficult for him, but we know that limiting his space is the most important thing.

“We don’t want him to run freely around our back line and go at our keeper like he did in the last game. That wasn’t good enough, but we all know he’s the best player who ever played,” he said.

– ‘Fearless’ approach –

Marsch has repeatedly said his team must play with a “fearless” approach, but he said it was certainly not just about courage.

“For me, fearlessness comes from clearly understanding roles and knowing that if you make mistakes within those roles, people can support you tactically, mentally, psychologically, in every way possible.

“The more you can create an environment where they understand what we’re trying to accomplish, where it makes sense to them and they know how to fully commit to it, the more engaged they are and the more they appreciate it, the more they internalize it and the less fearful they become because they trust what’s being built. And that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Argentine left back Nicolas Tagliafico says the world champions realise Canada is more than just a hard-running, physically strong team.

“Canada is a very compact team, with high lines. We know each other well and we have to find a way to hurt them. They are not only physically strong, they also have a good game, which we have to be aware of,” he said.

According to Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, Canada’s performance has earned respect.

“Canada made it difficult for everyone and we will try to make the game go the way we want, with our game and our weapons. We hope to get the game under control,” he added.

Scaloni suggested that experienced winger Angel Di Maria, who is playing in his last tournament, could start in the semi-final and partner Messi again.

“It’s a possibility, they’ve played together (already) and then he (Di Maria) was on the bench. That’s the peace of mind we have, but yes, it’s a possibility,” he said.