World Cup: how did it all go wrong for England? - The Latest
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is The Guardian.
For England to go into their shell, for Tuchel to choose to set England up like that, I find that personally quite devastating.
No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions. I'm responsible for them. I took them. So I take the criticism. That's just the way it is.
Tuchel never believed in us. He never believed in our capability to do anything but defensive rearguard our way to victory. That, I think, is going to sting for quite a while.
How did England lose the World Cup semi-final to Argentina?
It's like finding out that daddy doesn't love you.
From the Guardians today on Focus, this is The Latest with me, Annie Kelly. So England have crashed out of the World Cup. We're all very gutted to see them not make their first final in 60 years. Johnny Liu, you are a Guardian columnist and a football writer. I'd hate to bring up the fact that the last time that you were on The Latest, you predicted an England win in this World Cup. Obviously, sadly, you were wrong. So what's your post-match analysis? What happened last night?
You know, frankly, I'm incredibly disappointed because I believed right up until the 85th minute that they had enough to... that they had the players and the tactics and the coach to be what I think was an inferior Argentina side. But what happened is, you know, a lot of... there will be a lot of... Emphasis put on Thomas Tuchel's substitutions. I think what happened in the rot set in a little bit earlier, England were dropping and dropping and dropping far too deep, far too early. Instead of going for a second goal, they allowed the game to compress. They allowed an Argentina side that doesn't have a huge amount of pace, that has been through exhausting games in their own progress through the knockout stages.
to play exactly the game they wanted, patiently trying to break them down. Lionel Messi, while the greatest player of all time, is 39 years old. A stretched game, a quick game, a game of quick decisions and transitions doesn't suit him at all. And it doesn't suit a lot of that Argentina side. And England willingly acquiesced to the game that Argentina wanted to play. It was a suicide note.
Right. Tuchel's fault? Should he carry the camp for this?
Yeah, totally. I mean, I think there was a lot to be said for, you know, the English, the mentality, the kind of the fear of failure that tends to grip players. And Tuchel is by no means the only coach who has seen his side play like this or kind of retreat to these tactics.
But there was so much expectation, wasn't he? That he would be different and he would bring that like will to win mentality.
Yes, and I think he has much more control over this England squad than certainly Gareth Southgate did at the last three tournaments. And in fact, many of his predecessors. He is such a micromanager. He has spent the last 18 months going through every single possible detail of exactly how games like this will pan out. thinking not just about the tactics and the spaces and the contingencies, but the mentality, how players react under pressure and how to train them to make the right decisions. Given that, given that he is a coach who was very specifically hired for the job of getting England through these games, it is a failure. There's no other way. If you bring in the guy who's supposed to win the World Cup and he doesn't win the World Cup, it's a fairly open and shut case.
But how do you account for that decision? You talk about mentality. It did seem like he didn't believe that England could do it when he suddenly kind of filled the fields with defenders. I mean, I'm talking as a non-football person here. It seemed very much that he bottled it as much as you say maybe the players did.
Yeah, I mean, this is, I think, why for a lot of England fans, I think this is why it's so hurtful. I think this one stings so much more than France four years ago. Maybe even Spain two years ago, who were very demonstrably a better side. Argentina are not demonstrably a better side than England. I will argue that till the cows come home. They have a supreme individual talent and, frankly, some quite mediocre players around him.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:35
2
How did England lose the World Cup semi-final to Argentina?
0:35–6:00
3
What tactical mistakes does Jonathan Liew attribute to Thomas Tuchel?
6:00–8:18
4
Why did England ‘go into their shell’ instead of seeking a second goal?
8:18–12:13
5
Should Thomas Tuchel be held responsible for England’s defeat?
12:13–12:23
6
How did player mentality and fear of failure affect England’s performance?
12:23–12:51