“I desired for it to be you. I desired it desperately.” As England’s World Cup ambitions fade into yet another chapter of sorrow, let down in Atlanta by the latest dashing, gaunt Mr. Perfect, a touch more melancholy, not much more enlightened, sunburned, broke, spooning Jägerbomb ice cream straight from the tub, this is an […]
Continue ReadingFuture coaching manuals might well use England’s display against Argentina as the textbook example of how to squander a narrow advantage. The statistical evidence from the match strongly supports such a judgment. When the inquest began, a host of unflattering numbers surfaced. The most striking observation came from a leading stats account, which revealed England […]
Continue ReadingThomas Tuchel accepted responsibility for England’s overly cautious approach after taking the lead, as Argentina shattered their World Cup hopes with a stunning late comeback. England were moments away from a first men’s World Cup final on foreign soil after Anthony Gordon put them ahead early in the second half. The defending champions levelled through […]
Continue ReadingTo strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. That sentiment didn’t apply to this group, at least. Amid relentless, rolling noise inside Atlanta’s massive climate-controlled dome, England reached the end of the journey, the limits of their ability at this World Cup, the exhaustion of every mechanism within the side. Above all, they […]
Continue ReadingLionel Messi is all too familiar with opponents parking the bus. England offered nothing innovative when they retreated deep with a World Cup final berth tantalizingly close. That defensive mindset was regrettable, and it came as no shock when Argentina clinically mounted a comeback in Atlanta to exact punishment. It was an age-old story. England […]
Continue ReadingHeartbreak in major tournaments seems woven into England’s story. The only mystery is the timing and the cruel fashion in which it unfolds. This defeat marked a staggeringly harsh new chapter. Thomas Tuchel’s side matched aggression with aggression in a match crackling with raw tension. The opening period was a bruising battle, yet utterly compelling. […]
Continue ReadingA coroner has determined that former England international and World Cup winner Nobby Stiles passed away from a neurological disorder linked to frequent heading of the ball. Stiles, a determined and hard-tackling midfielder once described by Geoff Hurst as the “heart and soul” of the 1966 World Cup-winning side, died in 2020, yet his death […]
Continue ReadingIt’s all about the ball, until, in an instant, it’s about something else entirely. On Sunday afternoon Godoy Cruz met Defensores de Belgrano in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football, and amid a sea of blue home banners hung two St George’s crosses, apparently snatched from England supporters at the 2014 World Cup. […]
Continue ReadingThomas Tuchel expects England to encounter an Argentina side “driven by their past” in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final in Atlanta. This marks the sixth World Cup meeting between the two countries, with the last three encounters taking place after the 1982 Falklands conflict. The most contentious clash occurred in the 1986 quarter-finals when Diego Maradona’s […]
Continue ReadingAfter it emerged that match 102, a World Cup semi-final, would pair England with Argentina, the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas war came up during Lionel Scaloni’s media briefing. “No, no, no,” the Argentina head coach said with firm dismissal. “This is purely a football contest. Let’s not search for anything beyond that. It’s a game against a […]
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