How to stop Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Kane?

A World Cup takes on another dimension when its biggest stars are present. In the space of one day, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane all left a mark: Mbappé scored twice in France's 3-1 victory against Senegal, Haaland did the same for Norway against Iraq (4-1), Messi scored a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria (3-0) and Kane scored two goals in England's victory against Croatia (4-2). Four very different profiles, but each one as formidable as the other. So how do you stop them?

Ashley Williams, former Everton and Wales defender, gave BBC Sport several practical ideas to try to counter these exceptional attackers.

Messi: pushing towards “comfortable” zones Messi, who is approaching his 39th birthday, continues to panic the scorers and his performance against Algeria – a hat-trick which brought him back to the level of Miroslav Klose with 16 goals in the final stages – raises a question: how to contain him? “It’s more of a team effort,” Williams says. “As a defender you hope for a bit of luck, but you have to cover all the options: tighten up, drop back, or let your middle tighten up. Try to push it towards so-called comfortable zones by playing on your placement, distances and approach angles. » Williams also highlights the difficulty of forcing him on the wrong foot: “He controls possession no matter where you push him. It has a low center of gravity, excellent balance and exceptional touch, it manipulates you. »

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Mbappé: stay hooked and defend at pace For Mbappé, Williams advocates a different approach, rougher on a physical level: “Stay glued to him. » Former opponent of the Frenchman in the selection (Wales–France in 2017), Williams recalls the direct and rapid profile of Mbappé: “He is more direct than Messi, he dribbles at full speed. When you play against an attacker who is walking at a hundred miles an hour, you have to stay in that defensive rhythm. » France is not reduced to Mbappé, he adds: we must also monitor other profiles (Dembélé, Michael Olise...) and work as a unit. Note that the double against Senegal allowed Mbappé to overtake Olivier Giroud and become the top scorer in the history of the Blues (58 goals).

Haaland: cutting deep passes Haaland is the “opposite” of Mbappé and Messi, according to Williams: “He beats you without the ball.” The Norwegian's main weapon lies in movement and the ability to take advantage of deep passes. The key to limiting it? “We must first prevent the balloons from behind, stop the supply. If you can manage the distances between your lines and reduce the chances served to him, you have half a chance. » Williams stresses the need to be rough around the box and try to force it onto his right foot: “Around the box you have to stick and try to push it onto your right foot. Just be strong, don't try to be smart: clear the ball and buy time. » Haaland displays clinical efficiency (57 goals in 51 selections at the time), which reinforces the difficulty of containing him.

Kane: prevent the strike and block the lanes Harry Kane is perhaps the most formidable shooter of the four. Williams recalls that the England captain has evolved towards a deeper role: “He drops back a lot to use his passing quality. » Kane, with 81 goals for the national team, also knows how to attract defenders and release runners like Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham or Anthony Gordon. The defensive recipe? Communication and compromise: “I would stay behind and communicate with my environment. As soon as he goes down, it will be in the middle to mark him; as a defender, I would try to stay back to cover the space. Runners who attack spaces would be my priority, not necessarily harassing Kane in the middle. »

Four answers for four profiles In the end, Williams sums up the idea well: there is no one universal method for stopping these attackers. Messi requires collective organization and careful placement, Mbappé requires physical attention and high-intensity concentration, Haaland requires blocking of passes in depth and solidity around the area, Kane requires monitoring of movements and close communication between defenders and midfielders. If we want to neutralize them, each team will have to adapt its strategy to these unique profiles.