Harry Kane expressed confidence that Thomas Tuchel will draw lessons from England’s World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina, and stressed the need to utilize the upcoming Nations League matches to build experience against elite opposition. Kane remained on the bench as England secured third place with a thrilling 6-4 win over France on Saturday – […]
Continue ReadingGoalkeepers Jordan Pickford Might he have reacted more effectively to Enzo Fernández’s leveler for Argentina? Jude Bellingham appeared convinced it was possible. Regardless, the player with the most World Cup tournament showings for England delivered several vital stops, notably a superb denial of Nicolas González in the last four. 7 Dean Henderson His involvement was […]
Continue ReadingHow to sum up such a wild, unpredictable contest? Thomas Tuchel had vowed a response, but even he couldn’t have anticipated the scale of England’s reaction, especially against a France side that seemed on holiday in a staggering first period where they let in four goals. Still, with Kylian Mbappé chasing a second consecutive Golden […]
Continue ReadingHow we conversed. On late-night broadcasts, floating faces above a scrolling ticker. On flights and rail journeys, at bus shelters and florists and children’s parties, frantically attempting to bridge the dullness of the present with the excitement of what was to come, trying in some way to pre-experience the emotions, the adrenaline spike, the pounding […]
Continue ReadingThomas Tuchel stressed he has no desire to participate in assigning fault for England’s tournament exit and pledged to narrow the distance to the top teams. Even Donald Trump weighed in on the tactics Tuchel used during the semi-final loss to Argentina, the US president wondering why Harry Kane was turned into “a defensive player” […]
Continue ReadingIn her work Hope in the Dark, writer Rebecca Solnit explores whether one can sustain hope in the face of widespread human misery. She cites Bulgarian thinker Maria Popova: “Reason without hope becomes cynicism, yet hope without reason is mere naivety.” By most measures, this presents a persuasive case for hope as a driving force […]
Continue Reading“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 […]
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