Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That’s courage. That’s bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What’s the difference?
We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1.
Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send? I wrote it in my Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result.
Football is everywhere in Mexico City. It’s embedded in this vibrant city, in these people, in the fabric of life here. Its stars’ images adorn billboards on buildings. Its stories dominate conversations about the selection, opposition, ambition and now this epic collision with England at Azteca for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup co-hosted by Mexico.
Football is on everyone’s lips, and on every street. Racks of Mexico shirts are pushed along the side of the road, blending in with traffic-slowed cars, some of which already have green flags flying from the windows. People go about their work in Mexico shirts as if it’s the office uniform. Two dogs are led through town wearing miniature replica shirts. That’s normal. That’s life here.
A group of triumphant schoolboy footballers, still in full kit, stand on a street corner posing for pictures with their trophy and passing fans in Brazil, Colombia or USA shirts. Yards away, workers erect huge security barriers to prevent fans climbing on bus shelters and monuments for better views of the many public screens showing footage from Azteca.
Football is everywhere from the moment you enter Mexico. In the immigration official who wanted to talk Raul Jimenez’s exit from Fulham. In the bakery with celebratory team cakes adorned with green icing. In the art exhibition with a centre-piece of 10 footballs painted by children. In the waitress in a side-street café promising access to match tickets for a couple of England fans. Not cheap.
Football seeps from the cracks in the pavements, from every pore of this city of chaos and charm. Visitors from US venues are immediately struck by the feeling of moving up a level. “I felt the passion straight away,” Thomas Tuchel said. “As soon as we landed in Mexico City, you feel the energy of the place, you see the people on the side of the street, getting a glimpse of the bus, people in front of the hotel. It makes you feel alive. It makes you sharper. I see the excitement in the players’ eyes.”
And so they should be excited. They get to perform on one of world football's great stages, the Azteca, where Pele and Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup, playing in front of 72,000 fans, all but 8,000 of them imploring Jimenez and the dangerous left-sided Julian Quinones to wreak havoc on England’s uncertain defence. Forget the feared meteorological storm; England face an early whirlwind blowing towards them as Mexico love to start strong, drawing on their bodies' greater connection with the altitude.
England are out of their comfort zone, at altitude, and so far out of their usual time zone that they play a game on a Sunday their fans back home watch on a Monday. They face hosts who have lost only two of 89 competitive internationals at Azteca. It’s all about whether England get tied up emotionally in all the talk of altitude and the Azteca’s reputation as a serial ambush site. Or just focus on the job in hand, beating a decent but not great team ranked below them in the Fifa standings.
“The stadium can create momentum and belief in the home team,” Tuchel added with a strong caveat. “We have very experienced players, who play up against the toughest teams for their clubs. It takes a lot of courage to get a top performance in Azteca stadium, against Mexico, but we have a brave team. You're in such an iconic place. It makes me feel very alive. It brings out the best of myself.”
Tuchel is aware of England’s last visit, 40 years ago, and the Hand of God of Argentina’s Maradona. Different opposition, same venue. “That was just painful, still hurts, but we're not here for revenge. We’re here to write our own chapter and we are ready. We have the spirit, we have the commitment to be together, to compete, to give everything for the nation back home to be proud.” If they raise their defensive game, England have a chance. #ENG #MEXENG #FIFAWorldCup