​ATLANTA — Six coaches have tried to stop Lionel Messi at this World Cup and for the most part, they have all failed.Of course, slowing the Argentina legend is far easier said than done. Even at 39, Messi has been in scintillating form at his sixth career World Cup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMessi has eight goals in six matches at the tournament, leading Argentina to the semifinal against England on Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta.The seventh coach in the procession is England boss Thomas Tuchel. Faced with the vexing question of how to slow down Messi, Tuchel said he was considering deploying one of his midfielders as a Messi spy during the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”I was thinking about if we do a proper old school man-mark,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, July 14. “I’m not sure if we’ll follow through with this idea, but it crossed my mind.”But Tuchel acknowledged that, regardless of how he and his staff attempt to slow him, Messi typically finds a way to stay a step ahead of the game.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I think we’ve found some patterns in their game,” Tuchel said. “But if you close the patterns, (Messi) will find maybe a new one and create a new one. That’s his super strength.”Messi’s teammates also make him more effective. Defenses can’t lock in on Messi when the likes of Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martínez are more than capable of exploiting space.”It’s not just (Messi) on the field, you’ve got other really good players on the team,” England defender Marc Guehi said.1 / 5US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)As his career has entered its third decade, Messi has increasingly relied on his guile and ability to see space to remain effective.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWatch his first goal of this World Cup against Algeria. Messi slowly drifts into a pocket of space between Algeria’s midfield and back line. After receiving a pass, Messi shows a burst of pace before depositing a powerful finish into the top corner.He’s not flying all over the field like his glory days at Barcelona, but Messi has discovered the way to run smarter, not harder.”You analyze the matches and you feel like he sees stuff just earlier than anyone else on the field,” Tuchel said.”It’s just like the ball drops to him … he makes this like, two-meter space for his left foot, and then executes the solution on the very highest level.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBuy World Cup final ticketsOf all six coaches that have faced Messi at this tournament, the closest to succeeding was Switzerland’s Murat Yakin. Messi scored in his first five World Cup games, but failed to find the net in Argentina’s 3-1 win over Switzerland in the quarterfinal (he did at least get an ass