The heartache goes on for England at the World Cup, having lost all three of the semi-finals they have contested since 1966. England fell to a 2-1 defeat against Argentina in Atlanta – after taking the lead from an Anthony Gordon goal in the 55th minute. It hurts to say this but Argentina were the best team by a mile. The manner of the defeat marks a new low for England, who always seems to choke when it most matters. One damning post-match statistic revealed that England had just 12 per cent possession after they went one up in the match. Questions have to be asked, most of all about the manager Thomas Tuchel, whose in-game changes, in particular his defensive substitutions when there was still so much of the game to play, proved nothing short of disastrous. When the heat was on, Tuchel shrivelled. More on him later.
Tuchel fluffed it big time, and in the biggest of matches
What about the Argentinians? They were simply too good, in a completely different class, and blessed with the footballing genius that is Lionel Messi. He turned the game on its head. When Argentina went behind, they responded with an intensity and quality that left England chasing shadows. Their manager Lionel Scaloni was brave and clever with his substitutions. There was only likely to be one winner the longer the match went on and it wasn’t England.
This game only came alive after England scored the opener. The first half had been tetchy affair, the scale of the occasion getting to both sides. It was gripping enough but in an attritional way. There was no real flow to the game, in part because of the sheer number of petty fouls on both sides. Even so, England looked confident in the early stages, with Djed Spence surging forward on numerous occasions but there was little in the way of final product. More than half an hour of the game had passed before the first effort on goal. Even so, England had held their own and there was nothing much between the two sides.
All to play for then as the second half got underway. Anthony Gordon provided the vital breakthrough shortly after half-time, a joyous moment when English hearts soared. It allowed the England players and the millions watching at home to start dreaming of a place in the World Cup final for the first time since 1966. Sixty years of hurt were about to finally be put to bed, and against one of England’s greatest rivals. But Argentina had other ideas. They’re world champions for a reason, and their response to going behind was to start playing at a level that left England for dead. What a collective they are, a group of players that give everything for each other and refuse to be beaten. Argentina attacked the England goal in wave after wave. England retreated deeper and deeper, having no response. In the 86th minute, the breakthrough finally came. Enzo Fernandez hit a shot from outside the box that sizzled into the net. Messi was conducting proceedings, demanding the ball at every opportunity. Even at 39 years of age he has skills that are out of this world. In a wildly emotional game, Messi was the player who remained ice-cool throughout. The match was moving into injury time and Argentina were now hunting in packs for the winner. Messi delivered a sumptuous cross into the box for Lautaro Martinez, a substitute, to head into the net. Game over. Afterwards, the Argentine players celebrated their win with a banner saying ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ (The Malvinas are Argentinian). That hurts, too.
England, in particular their manager Thomas Tuchel, have only themselves to blame for this defeat. Tuchel’s switch to a back five for the final 25 minutes or so of the game was a gamble that backfired badly. He seemed desperate to preserve what England had, rather than go for the jugular and win the game outright. This negativity, conservatism, lack of ambition, call it what you will, is the very failing that led so many England fans to lose faith in Gareth Southgate’s time in charge of the national team. It was baffling and infuriating to see Tuchel adopt the same approach. In appointing him, England picked an elite manager. Wasn’t he support to be better than this? Tuchel fluffed it big time, and in the biggest of matches. After the match, he said he was ‘disappointed’ and that the team got ‘too passive’ after scoring, before adding that he had ‘no regrets’. Well, millions of England fans do. This was a game thrown away by his negativity and caution. It is hard to see how Tuchel comes back from this. He has talked about being ‘brave’, wanting more ‘technical’ football, and how the biggest matches bring out the best in the England team. It was all talk. He had no response when the Argentinians were running England ragged. How is this any better than Southgate-era England?
The heartbreak goes on. England have become the nearly team of international tournament football. In the last five major tournaments, they’ve lost two finals, two semi-finals and a quarter final.
The England captain Harry Kane, in his post match TV interview, said: ‘We just tried to hold on, which at this level is not enough.’ Kane is honest to a fault. England have been exposed once more as not good enough to compete at the highest levels. It is the same old story, tournament after tournament. What happens now is anyone’s guess. Here’s a question for the suits at the Football Association: Has Tuchel done enough to keep his job? I think not.
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