Canada faces one of the biggest games in its football history when it takes on world champions Argentina in the Copa América semi-finals on Tuesday, with coach Jesse Marsch eyeing a “special victory”. American Marsch only took charge of Canada in May and led the impressive campaign to the semi-finals, in what is his first participation in the Copa América. But true to his upbeat, positive approach, the former Leeds United and RB Leipzig manager says there is no doubt he or his team will be pleased or daunted by the occasion.
“My mind is completely focused on giving our team a chance to not just have a special experience, but a truly special victory,” Marsch said at a news conference.
Canada lost 2-0 to Argentina in the opening game of the tournament, but Marsch believes they have improved in many ways since that game in Atlanta on June 20.
“If you just look at the amount of days we’ve spent together, it’s almost as if the 18 days we’ve had since then has doubled the amount of time we’ve spent together,” he said.
“So we invested in that time to make sure we were tactically clear, that the relationships on the field are clear and that the understanding of how to deal with every moment is better,” he said.
“I think we have evolved and feel more confident in our roles and tactically in the way we play,” he added.
Canada exceeded expectations by exiting Group A, ahead of South Americans Chile and Peru, before achieving a surprising quarter-final victory on penalties against Venezuela.
One key area where Marsch wants to see a big improvement is in his handling of Lionel Messi.
“We didn’t do well enough with Messi in the last match and he was able to run very freely towards our goalkeeper. We won’t mark him, but he will emphasize how we defend and our ability to follow up. his will be very important,” said Marsch.
“We have certain things we will try to do to make things difficult for him, but we know that limiting his space is the first thing.
“We don’t want him free and running into our defense line, and running towards our goalkeeper like in the last game where that wasn’t good enough, but we all know he’s the best player to ever play,” he said. .
‘Fearless’ approach
Marsch has repeatedly said his team needs to play with a “fearless” approach and said it’s not just about being brave.
“For me, fearlessness comes from the clarity of understanding the roles and knowing that within the roles, if you make mistakes, people can help support you in those moments, tactically, mentally, psychologically, in every way.
“The more you can create an environment where they understand what we’re trying to achieve, where it makes sense to them and they know how to fully commit to it, the more engaged they will be and the more they value it, the more they own it and the more They are fearless because they trust in what is being built. And that’s what I try to do,” he said.
Argentine left-back Nicolas Tagliafico says the world champions are aware that Canada is more than just a strong, physical team.
“Canada is a very compact team, with high lines, we know each other well and we will need to find a way to hurt them, because in addition to being physically strong, they also have a good game that we must pay attention to. stop,” he said.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Canada’s performance earned respect.
“Canada made things difficult for everyone and we will try to make the game go our way with our game and with our weapons, we hope to have control of the game”, he added.
Scaloni hinted that veteran winger Angel Di Maria, who is playing in his finals, could start in the semi-final and team up with Messi again.
“It’s a possibility, they (already) played together and then he (Di Maria) was on the bench. This is the peace of mind we have, but yes, it is a possibility,” she said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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