Umtiti guns for his mate Messi
WORLD CUP
FRANCE defender Samuel Umtiti has sympathy for Lionel Messi and the burden Argentina place on his Barcelona team-mate – but is out to prolong his World Cup agony.
Umtiti has been Messi’s team-mate for two years and faces him when Les Bleus take on Argentina in the last 16 tomorrow.
Umtiti, who is expected to start, said: “I see him every day, it’s very hard to stop him. He’s got outstanding qualities DANI CARVAJAL has defended Spain coach Fernando Hierro but admits his side have failed to meet expectations at the World Cup.
Hierro – a last-minute replacement after Julen Lopetegui was sacked – has had his ability called into question by former Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster after Spain scraped to the top of Group B, setting but he’s different with Argentina than with Barcelona.
“He does not have the same players with him and their way of playing is different, but he has saved them on several occasions.
“The Argentinians are tough on him, but he cannot do everything on his own.”
Umtiti and Raphael Varane will be tasked with stopping Messi, and midfielder Thomas Lemar said: “Umtiti doesn’t feel pressure. He’s ice-cool, zen.” FAIR PLAY TO THEM: Japan’s fans keep things clean by taking out the trash at the Volgograd Arena – just after their team did the same by taking a last-16 spot by virtue of fewer yellow cards than Senegal. up a last-16 clash with Russia on Sunday. But Carvajal, below, hit back and said: “He is a great coach and we’ll stand by him until death. “We’ve received a lot of criticism, but what counts is that we haven’t lost a game for two years and we won our group. “But it’s obvious we need to take a look at ourselves, we all have to give a little more.”