How do you stop Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane?

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Four of the most in-form strikers in world football will look to add to their red-hot starts to the World Cup this week Football issues correspondentPublished29 minutes agoA World Cup is always that little bit more special when the game's star names come to the party. And last week four of football's elite strikers announced their arrival in devastating fashion. It was as though each was spurred on by the performance of the others. Paris St-Germain's Kylian Mbappe got the ball rolling by scoring twice in France's 3-1 win over Senegal. That was emulated a couple of hours later by Manchester City's Erling Haaland in Norway's 4-1 win over Iraq. Then step forward Lionel Messi, the Inter Miami attacker proving his enduring class with a hat-trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0. Bayern Munich's Harry Kane then netted twice as England beat Croatia 4-2. Could this be the tournament of the star striker? And if you're up against them, how do you plan to stop them? Four very different players, with contrasting styles but who are equally effective. Former Everton and Wales defender Ashley Williams told BBC Sport how you might defend against them. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lionel Messi has scored 120 goals in 200 games for Argentina Messi turns 39 on Wednesday, but you would not know it from his performance against Algeria. The forward's treble took him level with Germany's Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time top scorer on 16 goals - though Mbappe is just two behind. With Messi on this kind of form, and on 120 international goals, how do you halt him in his tracks? "It's more of a team effort," Williams said. "I always felt being a defender that you are hoping for a bit of luck. "You've got to cover all your bases, which might be getting tight as a defender, or dropping off and letting your midfield get tight. "Try as best you can to push him into comfortable areas with your body shape, your distancing and your angles of approach. "He's one of those players where if you have to pick a poison, say you'd rather someone else take the shot than him." Williams added that forcing an attacker onto their weaker foot would have limited success with Messi. "He seems to take control in possession, no matter where you try to push him out to," Williams said. "He's got the low centre of gravity, great balance, his touch is exceptional, so he can manipulate the ball and get you into a place you don't want." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, which France lost on penalties to Argentina Williams has first-hand experience of Mbappe from his own playing days with Wales. In November 2017, when Mbappe was a fresh-faced 18-year-old, Williams had to keep tabs on the striker for 84 minutes of an international friendly in Paris. Mbappe did not score, but he did provide the assist for Olivier Giroud to complete a 2-0 victory. By coincidence, the 27-year-old's brace against Senegal took him past Giroud to become France's all-time top scorer on 58 goals. "He was very difficult to play against," Williams said. "Mbappe is more direct than Messi. Not to say that he's better, but he's equally as hard to defend against. "When Mbappe dribbles, it's normally with more pace. The way he will manoeuvre the ball to where he wants, in a twist and turn, is with more intensity. "When you're playing against a striker that is normally 100 miles an hour, you stay in that rhythm as well. You're defending at that pace, whereas Messi will slow you down and then speed you up. "I'd probably rather play against Mbappe, because you stay locked in with him." France have such an array of world-class attacking talent, there is not just Mbappe to think about. "You'll do your homework, and see what type of runs players like to make," Williams added. "Michael Olise likes to come inside on his left foot a little bit more, which then might set off a run from Ousmane Dembele or Mbappe, so they will have trends that will be studied. "If you focus all your attention on Mbappe, some of the others will hurt you. "As a collective unit, you need to be working together on the same page." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Erling Haaland's Norway will come up against Kylian Mbappe and France in the final group stage game Haaland had to wait until the age of 25 not just to make his World Cup debut, but his international tournament bow too. And the Leeds-born striker is clearly eager to make up for lost time. "He's the opposite of Mbappe and Messi," Williams said. "He'll beat you without the ball, which makes it even more dangerous. "You want to help your midfield by squeezing up, so they don't have to cover too much distance. "But as soon as you leave the space in behind, he's going to exploit that straight away." One of the keys to limiting Haaland's influence, Williams says, is to prevent his team mates getting

How do you stop Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane?

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How do you stop Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane?

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