EXCLUSIVE: Chris Kirkland expects ‘cagey’ England vs Argentina World Cup semi-final

Former Liverpool and England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland believes England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina will be a tense, tactical battle, while insisting the Three Lions’ resilience could prove decisive after their dramatic victory over Norway.

Kirkland has provided Flashscore with expert analysis throughout the 2026 World Cup, offering his verdict on England’s performances in North America and the biggest talking points surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s side.

England booked their place in the last four after overcoming Norway in extra time, thanks to another decisive display from Jude Bellingham. While the result secured progression, Kirkland admitted the performance itself left room for improvement.

“I don’t think it was the best performance,” Kirkland said. “I don’t think we’ve played well this tournament, but that’s a great sign for me because to not play well and still be in the semi-final is brilliant.

“The one thing we have done is show true grit and determination through really, really tough conditions.”

England dig deep against Norway

England made a slow start to the quarter-final and fell behind after Andreas Schjelderup’s dangerous cross drifted all the way into the far corner.

Bellingham restored parity before half-time, but Tuchel’s changes after the break allowed Norway to gain momentum, forcing England to defend for long periods.

The Norwegians thought they had regained the lead, only for Erling Haaland’s effort to be ruled out after he was judged to have fouled Elliot Anderson in the build-up—a decision Kirkland fully agreed with.

“Norway were better in the second half for me and they had the better chances. I think we rode our luck at times.

“Obviously, the disallowed goal was a foul. Haaland’s pushed him.

“We were under the cosh. I think we were knackered. You could tell we’d run out of steam.

“Like the Mexico game, we had to defend for long periods.

“But all credit to them because if you’re going to win World Cups, you can’t play brilliantly every game.”

Bellingham continues to shine

Bellingham once again proved England’s match-winner, scoring early in extra time to send Tuchel’s side into the semi-finals.

The Real Madrid midfielder now has six goals at the tournament and has established himself as one of the standout performers in the competition.

Kirkland believes nobody has been more influential.

“He’s been the player of the tournament.

“But it won’t mean anything to him if we don’t go on and win it. He’d sacrifice every individual award to lift the World Cup for England.

“He’s had to stand up. Harry Kane was very quiet, but there’s not two games in a row where Harry Kane stays quiet, which is a great sign for us going into Argentina.

“He’s doing everything right. At the minute, he’s the player you want the ball to fall to.”

Tuchel-Bellingham exchange ‘will be dealt with’

Another talking point following the Norway victory was the apparent disagreement between Bellingham and Tuchel after the manager questioned England’s technical display despite praising their mentality.

Bellingham appeared frustrated after hearing only part of Tuchel’s comments before speaking to the media, but Kirkland believes the situation has been blown out of proportion.

“It’s not ideal. Bellingham probably should have just said, ‘Yeah,’ even if he didn’t agree.

“The press stir it up. As soon as they smell blood, they go after it.

“We know there’s been a little bit of needle between them before and that’s been picked up again.

“But it’ll all be dealt with behind closed doors.

“Tuchel says exactly what he thinks, and I like that. If he’d come out saying we’d played brilliantly, everyone would have disagreed.

“What we did brilliantly was fight. We’ve got that never-say-die attitude at the minute and he’s instilled that into the players.”

Messi remains England’s biggest concern

Attention now turns to Wednesday’s semi-final against Argentina, where England must find a way to contain Lionel Messi, who leads the tournament scoring charts with seven goals.

Kirkland expects England to have a detailed tactical plan for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“I’m sure they’re working on it. Do they put somebody on him? Do they stick Declan Rice around Messi? You certainly wouldn’t say no to that.

“The thing with Argentina is that as soon as they get the ball, they’re looking for Messi.

“He’s not the only threat they’ve got, but he’s still capable of beating four or five players even at his age.”

Argentina will test England’s discipline

Despite reaching another World Cup semi-final, Kirkland does not believe Lionel Scaloni’s side have dominated the tournament.

Instead, he believes their greatest strength lies in their ability to manage difficult knockout matches.

Argentina have already needed extra time to overcome Cape Verde and Switzerland before recovering from two goals down to beat Egypt in the Round of 16.

Kirkland expects a fiercely competitive encounter.

“I don’t think they’re an outstanding team. But what they are is they win by any means necessary.

“They’ll kick you. They’ll go down. They’ll complain to the referee. They’ll do everything they can to slow the game down and break the rhythm.

“They’re one of the best teams in the world at doing that.

“It’s going to be a cagey affair. We’ve got to be really careful because there’ll be tackles flying in.

“We’ve got to make sure our players don’t react. That’s exactly what Argentina will try to make happen.

“There’s been a lot said about decisions going Argentina’s way during this World Cup, so England will face a huge test both on and off the pitch.”

Penalties could decide the semi-final

With both nations having already been taken to extra time during the knockout rounds, another closely fought contest could easily be settled by penalties.

England will draw confidence from Jordan Pickford’s impressive shootout record, while Argentina possess one of the world’s best penalty specialists in Emiliano Martinez.

Having worked with both goalkeepers during his career, Kirkland believes either could become the hero.

“Penalty shootouts are agony, but as a goalkeeper they don’t get any better than that.

“You know you’ve got a chance to become the hero.

“Jordan Pickford will be extremely confident.

“I’ve worked with Emi Martinez as well. He’s outstanding at saving penalties.

“If it goes all the way, it’s a toss of a coin.”