Thomas Tuchel described Argentina’s approach in the closing stages of England’s World Cup semifinal defeat as “f--- it football” while trying to explain how his Three Lions were condemned to an “agony of epic proportions.”
After a spiky and goalless first half, England took the lead in Atlanta’s air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute. What followed was an implosion in slow motion.
The Three Lions pressed from Argentina’s kickoff at the restart, urged on to push forward by Tuchel from the sidelines. However, the innate reservation of the nation took hold. “When we went 1–0 up we seemed to try and hold on,” Harry Kane accurately reflected, “which at this level is not enough.”
Tuchel blamed England’s “DNA” for the disaster which many attributed to his overtly defensive changes during the second-half hydration break.
“We conceded a big, big chance right before the water break and I thought, ‘O.K., we will not survive. This is waiting for death. We don’t have ball possession. We’re not defending good,’ ” Tuchel explained in a new England documentary, Reflections.
The German coach switched to a back five in the 72nd minute, giving way to the most pitiful 20 minutes in England’s World Cup history. Argentina had 92% possession, rattling off eight shots while Tuchel’s side completed six passes. Rather than face the slings and arrows head on, Tuchel pointed toward the influence of his opponent.
Lionel Messi’s Contrasting Version of History
While Tuchel tossed on defenders, Lionel Scaloni emptied his bench of forwards. “Argentina then plays very, very quickly,” the England boss outlined. “Sorry for the language, ‘f--- it football.’ We have nothing to lose. Let’s f--- it. They play four strikers on us. They play two wingers, two strikers and [Lionel] Messi.”
Despite the implications put forward by Tuchel’s explicit description, there was some order to the chaos of Scaloni’s approach. Argentina had already been forced to overturn a two-goal deficit against Egypt and used a similar approach, stuffing the frontline with strikers while Lionel Messi was allowed to wander to his favorite spot on the right wing.
Dovetailing with Rodrigo De Paul and the onrushing fullback Gonzalo Montiel, Messi completely overloaded England’s left-hand side, teasing apart the defensive stitching to set up both goals as Argentina prevailed 2–1.
“I think we showed again [today] what we’ve been doing for years,” Messi reflected. “This team plays free-flowing, high-quality football. We’re patient and we know how to read the key moments in a game. I think we dictated the game from the start. Although we didn’t create any clear chances before halftime, we were in control and saw a lot of the ball. And after they scored, we were even better.”
“I think that once again shows how strong we are as a group,” the Argentina captain added. “We’re mentally tough and play some good football. All of those things helped us win today.”
Tuchel’s ‘Epic Agony’
For all of Argentina’s quality, Tuchel accepted this his side played into their hands. “We played like there were four minutes left, but it was actually 30, 40 minutes left to play,” he lamented.
“No one knows what would have happened [if England had set up differently]. We could have done it and maybe lost 2–1 and people would go like, ‘Is he crazy? He did it [played a back five] against Norway.’ ”
“[It was an] agony of epic proportions,” Tuchel concluded. “No one is hurt more than me. It is torture. You can try and kill me here but it’s my scar. It’s not your scar. I have to live with it, not you. I’m in charge here and I take these decisions and it’s the players’ scar and it’s my scar.”
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