Does England have what it takes to beat Argentina? Psychologists say the Three Lions hold the mental edge ahead of the semi-final

On Wednesday, fans across England will hold their breaths as the Three Lions take on Argentina in the nail–biting World Cup semi–final. 

So, does England have what it takes to win the game?

According to psychologists, the answer is yes. 

Experts from Eras created an index, which ranks the remaining teams based on their psychological resilience, leadership stability, and performance under pressure. 

According to their results, England holds the mental edge over Argentina.  

‘England’s best chance of beating Argentina is to stay composed under pressure and avoid being drawn into an emotional battle,’ said Dr George Sik, a psychologist at Eras.

‘Argentina thrive in high–stakes knockout matches and they’re experts at managing momentum, so England needs to remain patient, keep their discipline, and take their chances when they come.

‘It’s a matter of being prepared. England can still reach the World Cup final as long as they don’t break under pressure.’

Ahead of the semi–finals, which will see Argentina face England, and France take on Spain, the psychologists developed the ‘Psychology of Winning the World Cup Index’. 

Dr Sik explained: ‘Teams are not just built on skill, they’re built on mental agility, cohesion, and the ability to perform under pressure.

‘Our index measures these traits using historical data, highlighting how leadership consistency, composure, and stress management directly influence tournament performance.’

The index takes five measures into consideration: total number of red cards received, average manager tenure, average goals in the last 15 minutes, number of knockout stage appearances, and performance under pressure.  

According to the index, Argentina is at the bottom of the list, mainly due to its excess of red cards. 

So far, the nation has received a whopping 10 red cards – over three times more than England.

In contrast, France tops the list, despite receiving six red cards. 

France has an impressive average manager tenure of 1,812 days, and a performance under pressure score of 6.74/10. 

According to the index, Argentina is at the bottom of the list, mainly due to its excess of red cards

According to the psychologists, this suggests that tournament pedigree and managerial stability can outweigh disciplinary issues. 

Spain is third on the list, having received just one red card throughout the entire tournament.

‘Spain combines one of the lowest red card totals with a respectable late–goal output, indicating that disciplined possession–based football can also translate into pressure resilience,’ the researchers explained. 

Finally, England is second on the list, with three red cards received so far, and a performance under pressure score of 5.99/10. 

The news comes shortly after scientists from the University of Reading revealed the perfect penalty taking technique. 

Researchers analysed various popular penalty methods, and found that shots are most successful when they’re high and wide, like those taken by Harry Kane. 

In contrast, ‘safe’ shots – like the one Bruno Guimaraes unsuccessfully offered in Brazil‘s defeat to Norway – should be avoided, according to the experts.

Professor James Reade, co–author of the study, explained: ‘Harry Kane must have a foot like a traction engine. 

‘His fantastic goal against Mexico perfectly demonstrated the risk and reward of hitting the corner of the net hard and fast.

‘We’ve seen our captain miss penalties before, but when he steps up you always feel confident he is going to score because he is so good at placing the ball where the keeper can’t reach it.

‘Penalty takers from all teams should be more like Harry Kane and hit the ball high, wide and hard.’