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10 hours ago
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Key events
I struggle to see a footballing route to victory for Argentina, but luckily for them, it’s not really about that, rather a quasi-religious attempt to write their own mythology: they believe. And that is a very potent thing, especially when as the high prophet of destiny, they have Lionel Messi.
The extent to which the squad revere him, committed to doing his running, getting him the ball, and getting after anyone who dare foul or cheek him, is unlike anything I’ve seen before. If Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez play really well – and they are capable – they’ve a chance.
So to our final…
A bit of non-World Cup news:
I like Andrey Santos – in particular his ability to punch passes through the lines. He’s not as good as Mateus Fernandes, who United hoped to sign, and in the end, quality is more important than value for money, but the arrival of Youri Tielemans for a bargain fee makes this look a fairly solid acquisition.
The miscalculation here is that football, rather than making money because it exists, exists to make money. Flogging tickets to corporates is no great genius and there is more than enough money in the game to keep it for the people – the problem is the lack of will and care.
For England, I’m not sure I’d want to use Rogers in the same XI as Jude Bellingham – initially, Tuchel felt the same and I’m not certain why he changed. If you’ve got Harry Kane in your team, you need wide players to service him, and Rogers is looking to score, not provide.
What do we think about this move? I guess I’m glad he’s not going to Arsenal, who I think need a winger more than a threat starting from wide – Christos Tzolis seems a better fit – and I’m interested to see how Xabi Alonso uses him.
The fee, of course, is astounding – he’s a good player but neither elite nor a cert to become so – but if any transfer succeeds, it’s worth the money a club is lucky enough to pay for it.
Watching England against France – though, of course, defensive intensity was lower – it was still noticeable how dangerous Saka and Marcus Rashford were on the counter. Had Tuchel sent them on against Argentina soon after England scored, Lionel Scaolini’s men would’ve had to respect it and might well have feared it, forced, at the very least, to leave defenders back to mark them, while their own team would’ve had out-balls and a serious threat, meaning when they cleared their lines, it wouldn’t have simply been to face yet another attack.
It find it strange that, given his team struggled for control and also to break down tight defences, Tuchel didn’t give Mainoo a single second on the pitch – and seemed to have decided as much by the Panama game, when he brought on Henderson in preference. England desperately lacked midfield balance, control, poise and craft, a problem that eventually cost them – and is the main reason I’d have given them little chance of beating Spain had they made the final. Anderson and Rice are fine players, but given Bellingham is essential, I’d want only one, with the trio completed by a more technical and cerebral type – which needn’t be Mainoo, he was just the only one in the squad.
Kobbie Mainoo’s position in the team-group shot is sadly perfect.
I can’t say this didn’t grind ma gears. In picking Henderson, a player miles off the standard and never likely to play in a meaningful match – with Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White, Fill Phoden and Cole Palmer left at home – the tacit message was the players weren’t trusted to motivate and inspire themselves, the squad sufficiently complete to do without maverick and unique attacking talents. it was patently not the case at the time, and was shown to be so throughout the tournament.
Tuchel revealed that Jordan Henderson had delivered a speech before the game that had helped to put their achievement in perspective. ‘He put us in the right frame of mind, with everyone in one mindset. It was unbelievable because today was very emotional. We built something very special in the last seven weeks, and we’ll never negotiate on that. I still stand by my words, that we need to play better football, manage games better under pressure, take better decisions under pressure. We need to defend more economically.”
Tuchel shares his thoughts on game and tournament.
Here’s Ed Aarons’ match report.
Was Thomas Tuchel too sparing in his use of Saka? If he was fit enough to start and star against France, he was surely ready to deliver against Argentina, yet Morgan Rogers was preferred from the start and, in the even didn’t even get on to the pitch. I can’t say those are calls which looked great at the time, nor have they aged well.
This isn’t the first time the third-place playoff has delivered goals. I wonder if, in a match which does’t matter that much to the teams, many of whom are nursing severe disappointment and regret – certainly so of England and France – defending is the first thing to go.
A score more tennis than football, but what do we think of England 6-4 France? Relive it with John Brewin’s MBM report:
Preamble
Greetings greetings! forty-eight teams, five weeks and 103 matches; welcome to World Cup final day!
Of course we’ll be looking back at England’s absurd victory France, as well as forward to our Spain v Argentina denouement, the champions of Europe taking on the champions of South America with the former going for two major tournament wins in a row and the latter a fourth, including what would be a second consecutive World Cup and the first since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. Never has football seen anything like this.
So what makes these teams special? Send in your thoughts, and we’ll also reflect on our best and worst moments, goals, matches, performances, players, and ephemera. Let’s go!
