England vs Argentina: Messi vs Bellingham! World Cup Semi-Final Team News & Big Reactions

But first to England, who are two wins away from ending 60 years of hurt and winning the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel side-faced Lionel Messi and Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, after Jude Bellingham inspired them to victory over Norway. Our chief correspondent Carvey Solikov is still in Miami for us and we can speak to him live now. At Carvey, Jude Bellingham was England's match winner again, absolutely brilliant. But it's interesting isn't it, because some of the headlines are away from his performance on the pitch to what he's had to say off it. What have you made of the way that Thomas Tuchel has been managing him and that relationship between the pair? Look, I think Thomas Tuchel has done an absolutely fantastic job in bringing the best out of Jude Bellingham. Look, they're not best friends, they're not going to spend their evenings off sitting down in front of the TV eating popcorn and watching romantic comedies together. They are winners, they are both ultimate professionals. Thomas Tuchel's job is to make sure that England win this World Cup and that is exactly what Jude Bellingham is trying to achieve as well. Along the way, there's going to be some creative tension. There are going to be some small disagreements and that's obviously what's happened. But let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. What happened is that after an extraordinarily tense knockout World Cup game, a microphone was thrust into Thomas Tuchel's face and he said that he wasn't happy with England's performance, that they got lucky. Obviously he was happy that they were through, but he thought that they could play much better. And then another microphone was put in front of Jude Bellingham's face and he was asked to respond to what his manager had had to say. And Jude Bellingham basically said, I don't really agree, you know, you had to have been on the pitch. You had to go through what we were going through in these conditions against the kind of opponents we were facing to understand how difficult it was. So the big question people are asking is, does this shine a light on the fact that there is some kind of issue between Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel? I have to say, in the past there have been some issues, well documented. Thomas Tuchel has said something that he regretted about Jude Bellingham, which he apologised for, for a long time. It looked like Jude Bellingham wasn't going to be Thomas Tuchel's number 10. It could have been Cole Palmer, it could have been Phil Foden, it could have been Morgan Rodgers. But whatever happened, it's all in the past. Jude Bellingham spoke to Carlo Ancelotti, his former Real Madrid manager, to get a little bit of advice. How he should handle his relationship with Thomas Tuchel. Thomas Tuchel flew to Madrid to speak to Jude Bellingham face to face. Whatever they sorted out is working an absolute treat. So let's not rock the boat. Let's hope that the creative tension continues. For instance, if you look at all the great bands of all time, you always had creative tension. The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, they didn't always get on. But when they were performing together, when they were writing songs together, the music was beautiful to listen to. You could just close your eyes and float away. Some of the best songs ever written. And I think that's what we're getting from Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham. A little bit of creative tension. At this level, at the highest levels of football, that is exactly what you need. So let's not try and create a drama where there really isn't one. That's all I'm saying. Well, you put it absolutely beautifully, Carvey. Right, let's talk about Argentina, shall we? And the fact that England have never faced Lionel Messi before. I mean, that seems quite remarkable, doesn't it? I know the first time I mentioned it while I was talking on Sky Sports News, my brain was whirring, thinking surely you're making a mistake. You're going to have to double, triple check this. But it's been double and triple check by lots of other much better journalists than me. And they have verified the fact that Lionel Messi has never played against England. Of course, he's faced lots of English clubs in the Champions League and done extremely well. But it is a strange anomaly that he's never come up against England. Why is that the case? I think around 20 years ago, when he was just starting out, there was an England-Argentina game that he could have played in, but he was suspended. So he missed that one. And I think the other big issue is that England and Argentina don't really tend to play very many friendlies against each other. They're both very, very busy fulfilling their own fixtures. When they do have slots open for friendlies, they tend to play very, very high profile games. For instance, Argentina, because they've got Lionel Messi. They're one of the biggest draws in world football. It costs you a lot of money if you want to stage a friendly against Argentina. So it just hasn't happened. So one other thing to look forward to a really interesting subplot. Is it a subplot? I'm not sure. Actually, it could be the main plot theme for this blockbuster game on Wednesday. Having said all that, Lionel Messi is really not at the peak of his powers. I hope nobody from Argentina is watching this. He's 39. When Argentina don't have the ball, he really doesn't do very much. Every time I've seen Argentina and into Miami play in the last couple of years, he just walks around the center circle until somebody passes him the ball. That is, of course, when he is very, very dangerous. And that is when Argentina are very, very dangerous. For what it's worth, I think Argentina have got a lot of dangerous players. Players who are even more dangerous than Lionel Messi. Players like Lautaro Martinez. Players like Julian Alvarez. Lots of great midfielders. Really, really strong center backs. No-nonsense center backs like Cristian Romero. Like Martinez at Manchester United as well. Very experienced goalkeeper as well. So this is going to be a really, really tough test for England. Argentina are going to be the best side that England have faced in this World Cup. But England are going to be the best side that Argentina have faced at this World Cup. Because if you look at their run to the semifinals, you have to say they have had a really, really easy run so far. And Carvey, as you can imagine, people getting just that little bit excited here. Many have been searching flights out to Atlanta today, sourcing tickets. How many England fans are expected to be there? And how many times have we asked this question during the World Cup? What will the conditions be like? Well, when it comes to how many England fans will be there, I think there's a chance that there may be more Argentina fans inside the stadium than England fans. I'm not saying that England won't be very, very well supported because they will be. But obviously, it's a lot easier to get to Atlanta from Argentina than it is to get to Atlanta from England. And we've seen how many supporters Argentina already have out here for the World Cup. So that is something for the England players to think about in the next couple of days. When it comes to ticket prices, you have to blame FIFA for the incredible, outrageous ticket prices at this World Cup. Obviously, some of those England supporters, the really, really loyal ones who are members of the official England supporters club, who've been to all the games home and away, have got enough points to have got their hands on the FA's official allocation. They will be there. They do a fantastic job. All the other England supporters, they basically have to buy their tickets on FIFA's official platforms. The price is outrageous. The price is on the resale platforms even more outrageous. So if you're thinking of a last-minute trip to Atlanta, it is going to cost you a fortune. You have to be very, very rich to afford this. Once you factor in the flights, the hotel accommodation and the match tickets, the prices are going to be incredible. For the Norway game on the resale platform where FIFA takes a 30% cut, there were tickets going for up to $1.1 million. That is £832,000. I don't know anyone in the world who would pay that kind of money for a ticket just to watch a football game that you can watch on TV at home. Just because people are asking for those kinds of prices, doesn't mean anyone is paying those prices. But a lot of the England fans I've been speaking to out here at the World Cup, telling me that for individual match tickets, they have been spending $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000. Incredible amounts of money to be spending. Shows how dedicated these supporters are to following their country and supporting the players who wear the England shirt. But if you're looking for somebody to blame when it comes to these ticket prices, you need to blame FIFA because it is their fault and no one else's. And Carvey, away from England and back on FIFA, they are considering, aren't they, more changes for the next World Cup. Give us a sense of what this might look like. Yeah, well, I hope you're sitting comfortably because FIFA are considering expanding the World Cup to 64 teams. This World Cup is the first one that's 48 teams, three different countries. It seems to have gone on for so long, so many games. But the next World Cup is due to be held across three different countries and across three different continents as well. It's been held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but we're going to have three opening games in South America. And that's because in 2030, it will be the 100th anniversary of the first ever World Cup in Uruguay. So they're due to be three games in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. Now, the South American Confederation Commonwealth signed up to this. But guess what? They're not happy now because they're looking at it and thinking, why are we only getting three games? It's our turn to host the World Cup. We should be getting a lot more than three games. So basically what's been happening behind the scenes is a lot of lobbying and they've worked out the best way to get more games is to have a bigger World Cup. That is why it's been on the agenda for quite a while now that in 2030, we could get a 64-team World Cup. That would mean that just under, what, around a third, what, there are 211 member associations in FIFA. So 64 of them, that's almost a third of them, would be playing in the World Cup finals. Of course, more games means more games live on TV, more commercial opportunities, more tickets to sell, more money for FIFA, money that they say they distribute all around the game. So that is the direction of travel. I think in 2030, we may well have a 64-team World Cup across South America, also in Africa, in Morocco, also in Europe, in Spain and in Portugal. If you're a traditionalist, if you don't like the way football is heading, the way it's changing, maybe it's time to get into another sport and forget all about football. Not just quite yet, though, because this time next week, England may be winning the World Cup. And there you go. And there you go, Carvey. Thank you very much. So Jude Bellingham continues to deliver in the biggest moments for England. Bellingham now has six goals in this World Cup and Gary Neville believes his performances are the best ever. He has been absolutely sensational. Honestly, it gives me goosebumps to watch a performance like that. I don't think I've ever seen an England player have an influence in a tournament like that. And I was with Gazza in 96. I was with Rooney in 2004 and with Michael Owen in 98. And I watched those things live and I've never seen anything like this. This is absolutely exceptional. It's at the highest level. The doubts before the tournament, which to be fair, the few of us that are working on ITV here never had. We never thought that it was a question of Rodgers or Bellingham. We thought Bellingham was a superstar, but he had to prove it. He had to prove it on the biggest stage. He's 23 years of age. It is absolutely monumental what that lad is doing. And there is no one in this country. You think about my daughter. My daughters love football. They're 16 and 17 years of age. They absolutely adore him. He is a hero. And every kid in England right now is watching this World Cup and they're thinking they're Jude Bellingham. And the impact that he is having on young people in our country, on young people around the world, in obviously this country that we're in, in the US, is honestly, it's magnificent. And I thought that Harry Kane was our only true world-class player and that we had Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. We're just sat that sort of bit below where you thought, no, you've just got to do a bit more yet. There's a bit more for you to do. He's just gone and done it. He's just gone and climbed that sort of extra step, which is a massive step onto that sort of what would be world-class mountain, was talking to Roy Keane and Ian Wright after the game last night. And they said, right now, if you're watching football, you're seeing the best midfield player in the world. And that's not because he's scoring goals, by the way. We don't tend to sort of give flowers too much for the goals. We know we need them, but it's the other bits around it that go to meet the complete player that gives him the edge. You see the look in his eyes of someone who, to be fair, is fierce, who's completely and utterly determined to go and succeed. This isn't England's next superstar. This is England's superstar right now. This is not the next superstar. This is happening. You've got to recognise this is obviously game-changing. You're performing in a World Cup. You've scored six goals. You've literally been unbelievable, both in attack and defence. You've got your team through almost single-handedly with the support of Harry Keane. The reality of it is this tournament is a lot about moments and it's a lot about big players turning up and we have that. Bellenham's on another level. Absolute another level. He's a superstar. He's a top player. If you look at the rebound, it's his movement. He goes inside and then back outside to get the rebound. You know, he's the only one who goes for it. Teams win leagues. X-Factors win tournaments. And we have an X-Factor in Jude Bellenham. And while we've got Jude Bellenham and Harry Keane who are X-Factors, you've always got a chance of winning tournaments. Always. Teams win leagues, but X-Factors win tournaments, short tournaments. The lad's a proper, proper player. You see good players, there's good players, and then there's shelves. And he's moving up that shelf very, very quickly to near the top with all the top, top players. And while we've got him, you've always got a chance. Always got a chance. But in that match, also, meanwhile, some drama for England after beating Norway as Jude Bellenham and manager Thomas Tuchel got into a bit of a public disagreement. What more can you tell us about that? I mean, I think that's crazy when you've just won and you've qualified for the semifinal again. But Tuchel was not happy with the performance of the player's head, which we should have done more. We didn't play well. And then when the question was asked to Bellingham about what Tuchel just said, as his head coach, Bellingham was like, well, whatever. You know, he doesn't know how difficult it is to be on the pitch. And we often say, right, in any sport, don't wash your dirty laundry in public. Keep it private. Keep it for the dressing room. Keep it for the roaster. Don't do it like that on television or with the media. And for me, it was a bad look. I'm sure they will move on and focus on that game against Argentina, but it just gives you a bad look about maybe the atmosphere within that camp sometimes. Yeah, it's something that you see all the time, but you want to definitely keep that in house. Now, let's look ahead to the other semifinal match between Spain and France, which will take place on Tuesday. Lamine Yamal said, quote, if France should fear anyone, it's us. He's young, but he apparently has no fear. What do you make of those comments? I can tell Lamine, who I'm sure is watching us, hey, we don't fear anybody. The French are not scared of anyone, not you, not anybody else. But it's true that the last two games, Spain won against France. I think they are the two best teams in this tournament, the two best teams in the world right now, even better than England and Argentina. And Spain have a good team, although we haven't seen the best of them so far when the French have been flying. So if the French have to be fearful of Spain, I think the Spaniards have to be fearful of the French as well. It's as simple as that. France is playing out of their mind in this tournament, and France looking to reach a third consecutive World Cup final. Julian with the latest. Thanks so much. We had two extra time thrillers at the World Cup on Saturday. Argentina, well, they found a way to advance again. They scored two goals after the 110th minute to eliminate Switzerland 3-1 Messi and the reigning champs back in the World Cup semis where they will take on England. And then the three Lions got by Erling Haaland and Norway 2-1 thanks to two goals from Jude Bellingham. Both Bellingham and teammate Harry Kane have six goals in the tournament. Former US men's national team forward Hercules Gomez joins us now. And Argentina has not looked their best in three straight games of the knockout round, yet they keep winning. How do they do it? That's a great question. Listen, before we would say it's Messi. It's the greatness of Messi. 39 years of age and he's not slowing down. He scored eight goals last term. He's doing it again this tournament. But it's not just Messi now. It's not just his brilliance. We could say it's VAR. They're scraping by. We could say it's they've not played anybody of worth. And I said that respectfully. No top five, excuse me, top 15 opponents on their way to the semifinals. But Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine manager, he finds a way. He tailor makes a suit depending on the opponent and they take it to those opponents. I really don't know how, but they're doing it. Two comeback victories. Another overtime victory, Argentina right now. They may be scraping by, but they're for real. Yeah, I'm sure Argentina fans are just saying, don't hate, appreciate. Well, moving on to England, because Jude Bellingham praised England's fighting spirit and ability to win dirty after coach Thomas Tuchel criticized their performance. What did you make of Bellingham's response to him? Oh, to the jugular. It's a kill shot. Listen, they're both right. They're both correct. But if you're Thomas Tuchel, you don't say it to the press. You say whatever you need to do, the PR move. And you go into the locker room and you tell your team, you know what? Congratulations, boys. It's about fight. It's about mentality. It's about moving on. But that won't be good enough moving forward. And if you're Jude Bellingham, who's having himself a ridiculous tournament, what you can't do is turn around and take a shot like that at the gaffer, at the manager. Now everybody's going to be waiting for that moment where this ticking time bomb goes off. You don't need to know sports to understand team dynamics. You got to keep that stuff in-house. Yeah, England, Argentina, the semis Wednesday in Atlanta. We'll see how things go down. Meanwhile, France versus Spain. Semi-final is Tuesday. Spain hasn't lost in 36 straight matches and gave up their first goal of the tournament in the last round. But France is the favorite. So what would it take for Spain to pull off an upset here? Yeah, many think it would be an upset. But would it be really an upset if the European champions, a team that's undefeated in 35 games, beat a team that they've beaten already twice in a row that they've made look somewhat mediocre in those games? Would it really be an upset? Yes, it would. Let me tell you why. This French national team is playing on a level that I've not seen since probably 2002 with the Brazilian national team. And they have more stars. Listen to what I am telling you. Brazil had R9. Brazil had Rivaldo. Brazil had their two fullbacks that are world beaters. And yet, this French national team, that front five, and I can go on to maybe six, is as good as I've ever seen in the World Cup. I do think it would be an upset. This French national team, if they strike first, it forces Spain to chase the game, commit numbers, and then it's over. That said, 36 games.