Alexis Mac Allister awkwardly backtracks on England comments before World Cup semi-final

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The ex-Brighton man explained: "What I said to Jamie was a bit of a joke because at the same time that I said they were not going to be in this situation, I said they have amazing players and a really good coach as well."So, I'm not surprised. They have, as I said, very good players.

They know what they are doing, they have a great idea, so we really respect them and we will try our best to win."Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletterMac Allister wasn't all full of praise, though. He claimed that England's players have lacked the physicality normally seen in the Premier League."I play against most of them every weekend and it's clear they're physically very strong," Mac Allister said.

"That said, I think during this World Cup we've seen - I don't know if I'd call it fatigue or not - but they haven't played with the same intensity that characterises the Premier League."I don't know if that's because of the heat, the weather or other factors, but they're obviously a great team. We have enormous respect for them, just as we have for every national team we've faced."Who'll reach the final - England or Argentina?