Lawrence Ostlere, Richard Jolly in New Jersey, and Miguel Delaney in Atlanta to react to England’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.
They argue England retreated too early after going 1-0 up, with Thomas Tuchel’s shift to a back five and the defensive substitution of Ezri Konsa for Anthony Gordon ceding midfield control and inviting pressure. Did Tuchel lose his bottle? And did his changes give Lionel Messi the time and space he needed to kill off England’s World Cup ambitions?
