Tuchel morphed into a hybrid of Southgate and Hodgson against Argentina but England were limited in midfield from the get-go. Tuchel's third choice was effectively a cheerleader-coach who had also been picked by... Southgate and Hodgson https://t.co/t7Nz5AOJMq
And the only outfield player named in the original squad who has not had a kick is a midfielder famed for his ability to control games...
https://t.co/tDWY6s0j4h
Fourteen World Cup semi-finals this century.
Only two teams have failed to reach the World Cup Final after going a goal up.
England. And England.
#WorldCup
2 - There are just two occasions of a team scoring first in the semi-final but not reaching the final of the FIFA World Cup in the 21st century – both of them are England (vs Croatia in 2018 and Argentina in 2026).
Familiar.
Never expected a coach as supposedly sophisticated as Tuchel to be reduced to such agricultural tactics at that level. Charles Hughes stuff. England had a deep enough talent pool to see the game out productively but their approach after scoring was backwards.
Even if England still get through this, Tuchel is having such an iffy tournament and his game-management since Gordon scored has been worse than Southgate in the Euro 2020 final. Kane or Bellingham may have to bail him out again.
And again.
Bringing defender after defender on can get you through the occasional game.
Banking on it to get you through against a team of Argentina’s quality is high, high risk.
#ENGARG#WorldCup