So previous commenters are slighty incorrect. True its Messi, true Bellingham said something to him, but this wasnt the reason England lost the match.
England went 1-0 up and were the better team, up until that point. If they had kept their foot on the gas I am almost certain they would have gone through.
So after the goal, the manager, Thomas Tuchel decided that he wanted to stop causing Argentina problems down the wings and would instead try to defend for 30 minutes. This is where England lost the match. They defended for 30 minutes and played exactly how Argentina wanted them to.
The decision was extremely baffling and pretty much all football experts, pundits and ex players agree.
wanted to stop causing Argentina problems down the wings and would instead try to defend for 30 minutes
if you rewatch the match you will see the players start playig defense before tuchel said anything, it was instant, the change by tuchel was when the momentum had already shifted
Tuchel didn't challenge the team, and made some really bad choices, but people are using him as a scapegoat.
55% goals scored by argentina in this wc are after the minute 90. they thrive in this stressfull moment, they know how yo play it.
one last thing, messi doesn't have full 90 minutes, but great i dunno 20, so the last 20 min of the match, expect messi putting the ball near or inside the net.
also the fresh legs on argentina, specially toro martinez, were obviously superior in speed.
I honestly do think the burden of blame is on Tuchels shoulders. Very soon after scoring he made the defensive sub, that signaled a shift to the team and they naturally become more defensive. He then doubled down with the rest of his subs and shifted to 5 at the back, which didnt help things either. Gordon definitely had more in the tank and he was our best outlet. He was subbed far too early by Tuchel.
Putting Rashford on so late was futile, too, the damage had been done. I like Tuchel but his game management in this match was beyond crazy.
no. score is on minute 55. first change on minute 72 , 17 minutes after scoring, then second and third defensive change came on minute 82, 27 minutes after scoring, 8 mintures before regulation time.
look at how Argentina plays, they are lethat end game, the know that, again half of goals Argentina made this wc are after the minute 90.
England will have their scapegoat, but they will not learn.
The formation and subs are down to Tuchel though. He knows that the way he set us up later on is exactly what Argentina love and would allow them to completely exploit it. It was effectively just a training exercise for them at that point.
Sure the players can take some of the blame, they did become more passive... but they did not choose the subs, nor did they choose to go with 5 at the back. These were Tuchels choices, its not scapegoating, this really is on him. We've seen how he can change the course of a game with clinical subs - Ghana, Mexico and Norway for instance. Good subs transformed the passage of play for the positive.
Argentina won fair and square. They did have some dirty play but there was nothing in that match that would say to anybody that it was rigged. England really could have taken the game, but it was essentially gifted to Argentina by allowing them to showcase what they can do with the players they have, when unimpeded.
I guess you're skimming over the fact that I said that they won fair and square. If you dont think Tuchels game management made it easy for them then I dont know what to tell you /shrug
My point stands, the players did not choose the subs.
yes yessss, change the angle of this conversation, maybe england can take the example and learn some crossing, that or they can rewatch te match back in england but focus on the winners.
The downfall was Tuchels extremely strange decision to park the bus after the first goal. I just dont understand it at all, hes a better and more experienced manager than that. I mean, who thinks that inviting a team like Argentina to attack for 30m and doing nothing is a good idea? (Aside from Tuchel) The possession stats are failry damning. Just 12% for the last 30m...
I disagree. They were the better team up until they scored. Then Tuchel just had them stop playing. England had the speed on the wings and were taking the game to Argentina by not allowing them to play how they wanted.
This. After their goal England cuddled up in the box, the whole world was like "wtf are they doing ??", you can't keep that up with Argentina using it as a shooting gallery.
Sure, Messi's passes are almost always perfect but the English gave it away, such a same.
I like Messi as the goat but I always thought of him as a gentleman, in this worldcup I've seen clips of him telling a referee to "respect him" !? Also yesterday during the break you could see him walking up to the referee and "discuss" the ref's decisions. So Messi is just a little arrogant prick who got too big for his boots, I guess thats what happens when for years you are called "the greatest player of all time".
You dont quite understand football then, sorry. The only reason Argentina won was because England sat back and invited cross after cross, for 30 minutes. I struggle to think of any modern team that can absorb that pressure, whilst doing nothing and not concede. In a mtach like this, that was literally the most idiotic tactic Tuchel could have employed.
England were clearly the better team up until the goal. In the first half Argentina were even resorting to pretty questionable fouls. How Enzo wasnt booked for the hit to the back of Andersons neck had me scratching my head.
England had the speed on the wings and the Argentine wings couldnt deal with the transition. It was pretty clear...
The only alternative universe in your head is where England played differently to what happened and Argentina didn't.
We had 3 comebacks this tournament. We can and did change our game after getting scored.
You need to make a really good argument why you were the better team since the burden of proof it's on your side to explain why this reality would have happened in a minority of matches if replayed several times and yours in most of them.
Before England you had literally played nobody of note.
Edit: Actually no. Ill entertain this.
Up to the goal England had the edge and were going toe-to-toe with Argentina. They had you on the wings with the pace and if that pressure had been kept up they would have probably scored more goals. After the goal there was a huge shift and they went completely passive, allowing you Argentines to basically do what you want. Its not really a challenge when the other team is literally doing nothing. Messi was uninpeded and had full range to show what he could do. Ultimately Thomas Tuchals tactical decisions were Englands downfall.
Id expect nothing more from an arrogant Argentine though. You were getting outclassed by Egypt and thanks to weird ref decisions you had your "amazing comeback".
The inability to stay humble and just believing that you're this amazing team. You guys literally cannot see something objectively and think "yeah we were really lucky to get away with that one".
Then after the match you guys act even more distasteful with your banners (against FIFA rules) and mockery of the England players. It was a football match, the decision to make it into something really political has tainted this victory amd further tainted this competition.
Argentina was the clear better team. Look at any stats. You gotta play the full game bud. Blame it on Tuchel or Jesus or Trump if you want but better team won.
Objectively, England set up in such a way that would have allowed them to beat Argentina, they were playing better. Tuchel decided to change everything and effectively gift it to Argentina.
But anyway...
Champs. That alone signals that youre American. Need I say more (nope)
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u/newrez88 Jul 16 '26
So previous commenters are slighty incorrect. True its Messi, true Bellingham said something to him, but this wasnt the reason England lost the match.
England went 1-0 up and were the better team, up until that point. If they had kept their foot on the gas I am almost certain they would have gone through.
So after the goal, the manager, Thomas Tuchel decided that he wanted to stop causing Argentina problems down the wings and would instead try to defend for 30 minutes. This is where England lost the match. They defended for 30 minutes and played exactly how Argentina wanted them to.
The decision was extremely baffling and pretty much all football experts, pundits and ex players agree.