EXCLUSIVE: Chris Waddle on England's World Cup Semi-Final, Stopping Messi, Italia '90 and Why Modern Football Has Lost Its Soul
England stand on the brink of a first World Cup final since 1966 as they prepare to face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night. And few people know what it feels like to be in a World Cup semi-final as an England player better than Chris Waddle.
The former Tottenham, Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday winger won 62 caps for England and was one of the standout players of Italia '90, still the tournament people cite when talking about England's greatest World Cup campaign. He joined Freebets.com exclusively ahead of one of the most anticipated England games in a generation, sharing his thoughts on Jude Bellingham, how to stop Messi, what he learned from that Germany semi-final, and why he thinks modern coaching is killing the game.
Here's what Chris had to say, and don't forget to check out the best World Cup Betting Sites, courtesy of Free Bets.
IN FULL: CHRIS WADDLE'S WORLD CUP SPECIAL
ENGLAND'S TOURNAMENT: "I DON'T THINK WE'VE PULLED ANY TREES UP"
Chris is honest about England's performances, even as they stand 90 minutes from a final.
"They've had spells in games where they've looked really good. But a lot of the games have had a fear factor. When you put an England shirt on, expectations are massive. Everyone thinks you should win every game, score three or four goals. We haven't lifted a trophy since 1966. I don't know if it's luck, fear factor or we're just not good enough. France have, in my eyes, been the standout team. Spain haven't really performed to what we thought. And Argentina, we know when you've got somebody like Lionel Messi at 39, something is going to happen. He's still got that class."
BELLINGHAM VS GAZZA: "COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FOOTBALLERS"
The comparisons between Jude Bellingham's impact at this tournament and Paul Gascoigne's in 1990 have been everywhere, but Chris, who roomed with Gazza in Italy, is clear on where the similarities end.
"I can see the impact, he's scoring goals, he's very confident. But they're completely different footballers. Gazza had little tricks, little one-twos, nutmegs, Gazza was just like a one-off footballer. He played like he was in the playground as a kid. Jude Bellingham is a modern-day footballer. Big, tall, strong, athletic, gets the ball, uses it, gives it. He's had a great World Cup, you can't fault the lad. In the Norway game he was outstanding, for 35 minutes he carried the team. He's one of the massive pluses for England."
On Thomas Tuchel's role in getting the best from Bellingham, Chris is full of admiration.
"The thing I like about Thomas Tuchel is that he wants his players to express themselves. He gets frustrated because sometimes players take the easy option when they could advance with the ball. He's quite the opposite of most modern coaches, he wants his players to take risk. But a lot of the players seem reluctant to do it."
THE SEMI-FINAL: "GO OUT AND ENJOY IT"
Drawing on his own experience of playing a World Cup semi-final against Germany in 1990, Chris has simple advice for Tuchel's players.
"Bobby Robson played everything down. He was very good at keeping everything level. Don't get carried away, which is hard when you've got people like Gazza in the changing room. It sounds hard to say, but go out and enjoy it, it's a game of football. I know it's a World Cup semi-final, but if you think too much about the occasion, the game passes you by. I went out and really enjoyed the Germany game in 1990. I thoroughly enjoyed it. All right, the ending was sad, but on another day we could have won it quite easily."
On the match-up itself, he sees a closely contested game.
"I'm expecting goals — I'm expecting it to be 2-2 after 90 minutes. Unfortunately I think it's going to go to the dreaded penalties. And I'm not the man to ask about penalties. Argentina score goals, we know that, and they do concede. But it's going to be a lottery. My fingers will be crossed for England."
STOPPING MESSI: "PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 25 YEARS"
No preview of England vs Argentina would be complete without addressing the elephant in the room, and Chris does not pretend there is an easy answer.
"The best way is to cut his supply off. Cut off the lanes, he can't get the ball to his feet. I bet every team in this tournament has tried that and it hasn't worked. He's a genius. There might be two or three moments in the game where you think, wow, and that could decide the match. I know he's 39 and his legs have gone slightly. But when he gets the ball to his feet, he sees that pass, a quick one-two, he's so bright with what he thinks about the game. To stop Lionel Messi, people have been trying to work this out for 25 years and I haven't seen anybody do it. Good luck to whoever's got that job."
ITALIA '90: "PEOPLE THINK WE WERE AS GOOD AS, IF NOT BETTER THAN, GERMANY"
Chris reflects on why Italia '90 still resonates 36 years on and what really happened in that Germany semi-final.
"We changed the system after the first three group games, went to a back three for Belgium. It allowed me to express myself a lot more rather than standing on the wing. David Platt scored a brilliant goal, Gazza's ball, and that's when it all kicked off. Then the Germany game, I hit the post, they hit the post. It probably deserved to end level. But considering Germany were classed as a great, unbelievable team, there was nothing between us. A lot of people got their belief back into an England side. People cling to 1990 because they actually thought we were the best team. In 1990 I think a lot of people believe we were as good as, if not better than, Germany."
THE MODERN GAME: "WE DON'T TOLERATE ENTERTAINERS ANYMORE"
For all the World Cup drama, Chris cannot resist addressing what he sees as a fundamental problem with the modern game, and his passion on the subject is clear.
"If you ask any player who their favourite player is, eight or nine times out of ten it's the player who's off the cuff — the one who can do something most players can't. So let him go and do it. Why does everybody talk about Messi and Ronaldo? Because they're off the cuff. The only entertainers in this tournament are Lamine Yamal, Bellingham, Mbappé and Messi. Why do people talk about them? Because they take risks. We don't produce enough off the cuff players anymore. We don't tolerate them. Take Eberechi Eze, outstanding footballer. I saw him at QPR: flair, imagination, bending it top corner. Gone to Arsenal and what does he do? Gets it and gives it. Never dribbles. And look at Brazil, they've realised they've lost 20 years of footballers and they want players to play off the cuff again. The whole world is coaching too much."
NEWCASTLE UNITED: "I'D LOOK AT THE OWNERS, NOT EDDIE HOWE"
Chris is clearly frustrated by what is happening at his former club.
"It's disappointing. Eddie Howe's doing a great job, he plays Newcastle on the front foot, which the fans want. I just wonder whether the LIV Golf situation has gone pear-shaped and they've had to cash in on players. With Anthony Gordon going to Barcelona, Tonali to Spurs, that's over 200 million raised, and they might only spend about 70 or 80. There's obviously a big deficit. Eddie's going to have his hands tied. I'd look at the owners rather than Eddie Howe for not supporting him enough."
TOTTENHAM: "TOP SIX, TOP SEVEN, AND MAYBE A CUP"
Far more optimistic about the other North London club's prospects, Chris sees genuine reasons for excitement at his former team, Spurs.
"They should be top six, top seven. Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, good signing. De Zerbi finished the season strong and knows what he's doing. He likes to play on the front foot. Andy Robertson coming in, good experienced player, captain of Scotland. I think De Zerbi went to the owners and said, if I take the job, we need investment. He's bringing in players who have played in the Premier League consistently. Champions League is an outside bet, Europa League a strong possibility. Maybe winning a cup. It's going to be interesting."
WHAT WOULD CHRIS AND GAZZA BE WORTH TODAY?
One final question too good to leave out, what would two of England's most gifted ever players command in today's market?
"I went for four and a half million which was a lot of money then. I think that works out at something like 130 million in modern day money. Gazza, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Glenn Hoddle, they'd all have been unbelievable amounts of money. I remember people going for 100,000 or 150,000 and thinking, wow. Today a 20 to 50 million transfer is run of the mill. When I went to Marseille from Tottenham in 1989 for four and a half million, everybody was like, wow. Today that's considered nothing."
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