Former England defender Gary Neville has backed the Three Lions to find the net against Argentina in their FIFA World Cup semi-final, while delivering a mixed assessment of the South Americans’ central defensive partnership.
Neville believes England possess enough attacking quality to score at least twice, pointing to what he described as the inconsistency of Argentina’s centre-backs, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez.
“I do not see any way we won’t score at least two goals against Argentina. I call them the best-worst central defensive duo in the world,” Neville said.
The former Manchester United captain acknowledged the quality of Romero and Martínez but argued that their performances can fluctuate dramatically from one game to the next.
“They go from the sublime to the ridiculous. You’ve got Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez who seem to give away a goal between them per game.”
Despite his criticism, Neville was quick to highlight the pair’s strengths, praising their ability to recover from mistakes and influence matches at both ends of the pitch.
“Then you see them again and it turns out they’re scoring goals, winning all the headers and popping up everywhere.”
Neville’s remarks add further intrigue to the build-up to the World Cup semi-final, where England will look to end Argentina’s run and secure a place in the final. The defensive battle between Argentina’s experienced centre-backs and England’s attacking talent is expected to be one of the decisive contests in the eagerly anticipated clash.
