Messi Turns Statistical Anomaly Into England’s Worst Nightmare
Thomas Tuchel spent considerable time planning how to limit Lionel Messi — and for the best part of an hour, the numbers suggest he was succeeding. Ultimately, it made no difference.
According to analysis by The Guardian, England kept Argentina’s captain unusually quiet through the opening 60 minutes. Messi registered only one shot in normal time — a long-range effort blocked before it reached the England box — which the report notes is among the fewest he has managed in any World Cup game in which he played the full 90 minutes. His sprint percentage, defined by Fifa as movement above 20km/h, sat at 4.3%, below the 4.6% he recorded against Switzerland and 5.4% against Egypt in earlier rounds. His only venture into the centre of the penalty area was snuffed out by an Elliot Anderson tackle.
On the face of it, England’s defensive structure was working. Messi’s heat map showed him operating in the right half-space — predictable territory that a well-drilled side can at least plan around.
The Second Half Flank Takeover
What the full-match data obscures is how dramatically the picture shifted after the break. Messi attempted six open-play crosses from the right flank in the second half alone — a figure The Guardian describes as