England vs Argentina - The Reflection

An England World Cup Reflection

International breaks are always met with a collective groan. Ughhhh. Particularly off the back of an all-action Premier League weekend where we’ve seen the title winners toppled and City and Sunderland produce an eight goal affair. Oh, and yes, we can laugh at Tottenham and Manchester United again! Now, I don’t want to set any hares racing, but whisper it quietly. This international break is three weeks. Three! The nations league returns and whilst no one (really) cares about this, perhaps we should. I would imagine that Thomas Tuchel should. World Cup 2026 harmed his relationship with England supporters, for reasons I’ll go into. A strong showing in the Nations League this Autumn could be a good step in restoring that relationship.

What went wrong on 15th July?

We’ve all moved on. Life, and football, moves fast enough to make that possible. But the thought of England playing for the next few weeks has brought back up the emotions I felt on that evening. I chose not to write immediately afterwards. An immediate rant is not something I’d want out there.

Now that the dust has settled, there are some positives to take from the World Cup performance. Our best players turned up, we showed grit, togetherness and determination and beat opponents we should beat. Not all of those are a given in any team. However, if we are honest, did we look good for an entire match? Like we were putting something good together? Something to really hang our hat on? No. But, then again, you don’t need to, necessarily, to win tournaments. Our opponents on that night, Argentina, were similar to us. Grinding their way through the knockout games, showing that grit and never-say-die attitude we were exhibiting. 

If we wind back to the game, the first half was a bit of a slog. We nullified Lionel Messi well, playing a mid-high ish block to engulf him. Argentina had struggled all tournament to play through the thirds and lacked any real pace to cause us issues in behind. 0-0 at half time, but our tactics were working. Tuchel gets credit for that. 

Second half. More of the same and then, boom! We score. A well-worked goal, attacking Argentina’s weak full-backs with our right winger squaring across the box for our left winger to tap in. 1-0. 55 mins. This, however was the beginning of the end. From this exact moment, we changed. The game changed. I’ve put myself through the pain of watching the second half back and, to give Tuchel some leniency, we started to sit back and invite pressure in advance of his substitutions. As we retreated and Argentina started attack in waves, all England fans had that sinking feeling. Here we go again! Score, sit back, concede and lose. We know the script. It’s happened in previous tournaments. We have the scars. Although this time will be different. We don’t have Southgate. We have an expert tactician, in Tuchel. He’s told us himself that we had been “too scared to lose” to win games previously and that’s held us back. This wouldn’t happen under him. He’s been hired so this doesn’t happen. Keep the faith.

A few more minutes tick by. Argentina continue to get stronger. Surely a sub? Freshen up our wingers? Saka? Rashford? Kane looks a little tired too. 72 mins. Ah, a sub. Wait! That’s centre half Ezri Konsa coming on to replace the goalscoring winger, Anthony Gordon. A back 5 it is then. Hmmm. Our only pacy player taken off, how will we counter attack and try and get a 2nd? 10 more minutes go by. Our goal is living a charmed life. Pickford makes a brilliant save from MacAllister and Argentina should have scored two or three. We’ve not even attempted a counter attack to score. Dan Burn ON and Nico O’Reilly ON. Two more defenders, one more midfielder taken off. This is it then. This is the plan. Sit and hold. 3 minutes later. Goal! Lionel Messi, that unknown quantity, with another short-corner squares it to Enzo Fernandez who has time on the end of the box to smash in. That was it. We all knew it. 

7 minutes later and Lionel Messi has yet more space on the right-hand side, floats a cross in, and 5ft 9 Lautaro Martinez finds himself free 3 yards out and heads home. 2-1. Game over.

This wasn’t a plucky underdog finally succumbing to a better team. This was a surrender. A surrender of control, ambition and courage to win a game of football. Everything that Argentina wanted England to do, we did. Terrified of our runners, we took Gordon off and didn’t bring on a replacement. Argentina had found it difficult to play through the middle. We said don’t worry about that, we’ll sit on the edge of our box let you attack us. Both of Argentina’s centre halves were on yellow cards and yet did we have anyone on the pitch who could run at them? No. 

England had 12% possession in the period from Gordon scoring to Martinez scoring Argentina’s 2nd. Between the 66nd minute and the 85th minute, England made two successful passes. Two. In just under 20 minutes of football. And, they were between Jordan Pickford and John Stones. 

Sitting back in the manner in which we did for that last 40 minutes wasn’t a tactic or a game-plan. It’s tactical cowardice and the sort of agricultural tactics you wouldn’t expect a competent football league manager to employ in the circumstances we found ourselves in, never mind an elite one. Did we sit back before Tuchel made subs? Yes we did. But does that mean he can’t demand his players to push up and continue playing. Or else, what are we paying him for? His gameplan was working. Back yourself and the team to see it out. But what transpired was a surrender of his own-doing. His subs, his gameplan, his surrender. Never in football have I seen one head-coach have such a negative effect on a result in that manner. The moment he was hired for, to not do what Southgate might have done. To steer us through. Sadly he bottled it. 

What’s happened since?

Well, now that rant is over, what can we do to move forward? Of course, we all waited for Tuchel’s reaction to it. His first reaction, came a few days after the game, and this was to take a swipe at English football to say keeping possession of the ball “is not in our DNA”. Perhaps true, to an extent. Are we as good as keeping the ball as Spain? Of course not. Nobody is. Don’t tell me Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice can’t keep the ball, or Kobbie Mainoo on the bench couldn’t have been an option. It must just be dumb luck that Elliot Anderson recently broke the record for most successful passes in a Premier League match by an English player. 

Is it not in “our DNA” or his squad’s DNA? He left Trent at home for Spence. He left a leading player in an irresistible Guardiola team, in Phil Foden, at home, along with Cole Palmer. Wharton and Scott are two of the best ball passers and handlers in the Premier League. Both sat at home.

Two successful passes in 20 minutes of football isn’t solely a personnel or “DNA” problem as much as it’s a change in approach and game-plan. Yes, Spain are the best in possession in the world, and it is their DNA, but when they went 1-0 up against France in the other semi-final, nothing changed. They continued to keep the ball, to attack, and to try and score a second goal. If we’re going to lose and then just hold our hands up and claims it’s a DNA problem, then what’s the point? No coach can fix that then.

Again, this week was an opportunity for Tuchel to lift the lid on any thinking in the Argentina game and what he thought had happened. Maybe as admission that as a team they didn’t get it right in the second half? His press conferences this week, however, have not made for promising viewing. Tuchel remarked that 99.9% of people don’t talk about the Argentina defeat. I’m glad to excel in the 0.1% who do then, I guess. The people speak about Mexico, Croatia and D.R Congo instead he says. 

I might be speaking for myself but I’d prefer to not speak about either Croatia and D.R Congo ever again. As for Mexico, this was an iconic game and moment for England. We did what we needed to do, and in the circumstances, Tuchel and the players deserve great credit, which they duly received. We will speak about that night and it will be remembered. However, unfortunately for Tuchel, Argentina will no doubt be the memory of the 2026 World Cup. Going to a back five to defend against a championship Raul Jimenez was not a blueprint to win a World Cup against the elite. As much as Mexico was heroic, Argentina was horrific.

Going forwards

Tuchel’s squad for this international week deserves praise. Inclusions of Trent, Cole Palmer (although he has withdrawn) as well as Alex Scott and Myles Lewis-Skelly are welcomed. All of these are “ball-players” and perhaps show a slightly different approach and acceptance from Tuchel that England do produce very good footballers. The squad is strong and should be as strong in 2028. Harry Kane will be two years older, but given his game, this should not affect him too much. Players will come through and Tuchel must integrate and trust these with some of the old guard being phased out.

We need to move on from the World-Cup, and we will. From now on and until the Euros in 2028, it will be business as usual. We’ll look good, and we’ll look poor. Barring a disaster, Tuchel is staying and he therefore deserves our full support. Because come Euro 2028, which is a “home” Euros, we’ll be right behind him. With it being a home Euros, it’s as good a chance as any to win a tournament. That, of course, brings pressure, but Tuchel is a man who has thrived under pressure before. He is a Champions League winner and they don’t give those out for nothing.

Like this summer, Tuchel will be judged when it matters in two years time. The proof will be in the pudding. If we play a top side and we take the lead, will his England team stay the course and go out for the win. In his own words, don’t “play to lose”, play to win. Will we take the next step? Time will tell.

Believe in yourself and our boys, Thomas.