FIFA World Cup 2026 - Discussion Thread

Disappointed but not in the team but in the tactics.
The game was 50/50 and was going any direction until England scored.

Then for some very bizarre reason at every single opportunity we brought on more and more defenders and sat deeper and deeper.
We got very lucky with a good save and Argentina hitting the post.
They were always going to score and as soon as they did I knew it was all over - He should of made changes after the equaliser not after going 2-1 down.

We didn't get out of our half after Gordon scored and he bought off Gordon, the only person who could of chased balls in the other half and left on Kane who is as mobile as a large boat.

If you are going to play all out defence then leave 1 player on the half way line who could some pressure away even for a few minutes.

The tactically decisions and substitutions were absolutely mind blowing after being 1-0 up.
Tuchel was meant to be a genius and someone who would make the difference in taking us to the next level.
He s**t his pants and panicked - Time to get rid and try another approach, as although we made the semi finals we haven't played well and only really got through this far due to determination of the players.
 
H_G said:
England was the worst team that played vs Argentina in the K. O. stage in this world cup.
Click to expand...

Weren't the worse team.
We played the worse tactics - We let Argentina just completely come at us.
Then bought on loads of defenders and pulled our shorts down and bent over for them.
 
If I look at the standard of the English team and the way played for more than 30mn : England is the worst.
Egypt and Switzerland did show more facing England despite their squad had less quality than Kane's teammates.
Egypt on 90mn was better on att. transition. England forgot any transition after the 55 minute
bsmaff said:
Weren't the worse team.
Click to expand...
 
bsmaff said:
Disappointed but not in the team but in the tactics.
The game was 50/50 and was going any direction until England scored.

Then for some very bizarre reason at every single opportunity we brought on more and more defenders and sat deeper and deeper.
We got very lucky with a good save and Argentina hitting the post.
They were always going to score and as soon as they did I knew it was all over - He should of made changes after the equaliser not after going 2-1 down.

We didn't get out of our half after Gordon scored and he bought off Gordon, the only person who could of chased balls in the other half and left on Kane who is as mobile as a large boat.

If you are going to play all out defence then leave 1 player on the half way line who could some pressure away even for a few minutes.

The tactically decisions and substitutions were absolutely mind blowing after being 1-0 up.
Tuchel was meant to be a genius and someone who would make the difference in taking us to the next level.
He s**t his pants and panicked - Time to get rid and try another approach, as although we made the semi finals we haven't played well and only really got through this far due to determination of the players.
Click to expand...
Yep. He went full on Southgate. Surrender the initiative and sit back. Until the subs there was no real threat, not too many shots and either side could have got the next goal. Cue Tuchel bringing on defender after defender and suddenly there's only one team going to score and if/when they did we were done for because our team was all over the place and disjointed with six defenders on the pitch. Let's just surrender the initiative and let Messi have the ball, great plan. Two goals, two saves from Pickford and they hit the post twice as well. Having previously done very little before Tuchel's subs.

Then at 2-1 down our supposed tactical genius of a manager was left with hoofing it up to Dan Burn as he'd wasted all the subs.
 
H_G said:
If I look at the standard of the English team and the way played for more than 30mn : England is the worst.
Egypt and Switzerland did show more facing England despite their squad had less quality than Kane's teammates.
Egypt on 90mn was better on att. transition. England forgot any transition after the 55 minute
Click to expand...

Our players have always been massively over rated because they play in the best (arguably) domestic league. Every single tournament as soon as we meet a top level team we get found out. I'm resigned to it now.
 
H_G said:
If I look at the standard of the English team and the way played for more than 30mn : England is the worst.
Egypt and Switzerland did show more facing England despite their squad had less quality than Kane's teammates.
Egypt on 90mn was better on att. transition. England forgot any transition after the 55 minute
Click to expand...

For 60 minutes it was a tight 50/50 game.
Neither side wanted to lose the game, if we played Argentina earlier in the tournament then we probably wouldn't of gone all out defense.
We scored and completely changed our tactics.

We should of stayed calm but our players simply are not good enough to control the game like Spain.

We have a very average defense, our central midfield is decent, we have average wingers and a world class striker.
This England team done incredibly well to get to the Semi Final, however we didn't beat a single team who we shouldn't of beat.
 
I've seen the argument twice today that - if after switching to a 10-0-0 formation and substituting on as many defenders as we could - had we held on and won, "we'd all be calling Tuchel a genius".

Categorically disagree. Football fans have eyes and can comprehend what they're seeing. If that had happened, what we would all be saying is "how lucky was that, that was suicide, we've got lucky throughout this tournament, we got away with it against Norway thanks to extra time, and we got away with it again, we aren't good enough to keep getting away with this, Tuchel has to wise up".

I'm gutted he's staying on for the Euros, genuinely gutted. I didn't like his team selection and, to use an awful phrase, he shat the bed.
 
Chris Davies said:
I've seen the argument twice today that - if after switching to a 10-0-0 formation and substituting on as many defenders as we could - had we held on and won, "we'd all be calling Tuchel a genius".

Categorically disagree. Football fans have eyes and can comprehend what they're seeing. If that had happened, what we would all be saying is "how lucky was that, that was suicide, we've got lucky throughout this tournament, we got away with it against Norway thanks to extra time, and we got away with it again, we aren't good enough to keep getting away with this, Tuchel has to wise up".

I'm gutted he's staying on for the Euros, genuinely gutted. I didn't like his team selection and, to use an awful phrase, he shat the bed.
Click to expand...

Agree. He did exactly the same against Mexico, yes that was mitigated slightly by having 10 men but even so we completely surrendered possession and were lucky they weren't good enough to do more than a series of aimless crosses.

The FA yet again giving out extended contracts BEFORE a tournament. It's madness.
 
bsmaff said:
This England team done incredibly well to get to the Semi Final, however we didn't beat a single team who we shouldn't of beat.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Also exactly as it was under Southgate. I cannot remember the last time we beat a team in a tournament that we didn't at the very least have a 50/50 chance of beating on 'paper'.
 
England have always had good players, but struggle as a team but I do think the hyperbole around the premier League also doesn't help manage expectations. Subjectively, it might be the best league in the world, but in how many of the premier league teams would you say that the best player is English? The fact that your two best players in this tournament both play in other leagues maybe also tells it's own story.

They've also never beaten a top ten side in the world cup. We heard a lot of about "mentality" (a complete BS buzzword in modern football), but I haven't seen it. Kane had to go to the biggest team in a one team league before he won anything, and that still took him two years. Even with England, he spends too much time falling over and moaning at the referee to be this unwavering beacon of mental fortitude. For all his ability as a player, Bellingham is guilty of extreme petulance when things aren't going his way..

I think the way seeding and tournament draws work do a lot to mask who the good teams really are. I'd love a totally random draw, proper group of death type stuff next to a group of absolute diddies (of course, we'd still conspire to Hibs it).
 
Last edited:
A friend just said, "I vaguely remember Tuchel doing the same thing in the City v Chelsea 20/21 Champions League final; that's definitely what was on his mind wasn't it?"

I mean, it's not quite as deep, but the highlights make me wonder if he tried to hold a lead for 45 minutes back then (which, in that instance, somehow worked):

 
mattmid said:
Exactly. Also exactly as it was under Southgate. I cannot remember the last time we beat a team in a tournament that we didn't at the very least have a 50/50 chance of beating on 'paper'.
Click to expand...
I don't remember England beat a team from the Top 10 of the FIFA ranking in the WC.
You need some luck in a tournament to get Germany knock out stage of the WC 2002 if you want to reach the final without meeting a Top 10 team.
 
scottish_carson said:
England have always had good players, but struggle as a team but I do think the hyperbole around the premier League also doesn't help manage expectations. Subjectively, it might be the best league in the world, but in how many of the premier league teams would you say that the best player is English? The fact that your two best players in this tournament both play in other leagues maybe also tells it's own story.

They've also never beaten a top ten side in the world cup. We heard a lot of about "mentality" (a complete BS buzzword in modern football), but I haven't seen it. Kane had to go to the biggest team in a one team league before he won anything, and that still took him two years. Even with England, he spends too much time falling over and moaning at the referee to be this unwavering beacon of mental fortitude. For all his ability as a player, Bellingham is guilty of extreme petulance when things aren't going his way..

I think the way seeding and tournament draws work do a lot to mask who the good teams really are. I'd love a totally random draw, proper group of death type stuff next to a group of absolute diddies (of course, we'd still conspire to Hibs it).
Click to expand...

Out of the top teams in the Prem.
Arsenal's best player is probably Declan Rice.
Villa is more debatable but could be Ollie Watkins.
For the other Prem teams it is very difficult to name an English player as their best player.
 
H_G said:
Guess the manager

View attachment 432498
Click to expand...

Seems that people are starting to find more and more evidence that Thomas Tuchel when it matters will put 11 men behind the ball.
He was bought in to take us to the next level and he failed because he panicked when going 1-0 up - Had we gone 1-0 up in the 80th minute no-one would of complained bringing on 6 defenders but to do it with 35 mins to go was suicide.
 
I would also like to say we only had 7 touches all game in the Argentina box.

I watched Exeter City get smashed 10-1 but Man City in January and I reckon in that game we had more than 7 touches in the Man City box.
 
bsmaff said:
I would also like to say we only had 7 touches all game in the Argentina box.

I watched Exeter City get smashed 10-1 but Man City in January and I reckon in that game we had more than 7 touches in the Man City box.
Click to expand...
That's why I wrote they were the worst. The team played last 30mn as with the Extra time requirement when leading 1-0.
The bloc wasn't able to play a fast transition, I mean Argentina beat Egypt with a counter attack to make it 3-2.
H_G said:
England was the worst team that played vs Argentina in the K. O. stage in this world cup.
Click to expand...
 
rockstrongo said:
Is "he shit the bed" a saying/thing in England?
Great saying if so, our (Sweden) is "he shat in the blue cupboard""
Really weird saying, or " the beard in the mail box "
Click to expand...
Here's Urban Dictionary's take on it (source):

1) Making a mistake that many other people recognise as a mistake.
2) (British) Exclamation of surprise.
Click to expand...

Sources suggest it originated in the US, but I've only ever heard British people say it.

I would mostly use it to indicate a mistake that someone made that is impossible to hide or deny, that everyone has just watched happen.

It's rare that you hear the second usage of general surprise/exclamation, in my experience.

What's a blue cupboard got to do with anything Rocky?! I'm dying to know. :D
 
Chris Davies said:
Here's Urban Dictionary's take on it (source):



Sources suggest it originated in the US, but I've only ever heard British people say it.

I would mostly use it to indicate a mistake that someone made that is impossible to hide or deny, that everyone has just watched happen.

It's rare that you hear the second usage of general surprise/exclamation, in my experience.

What's a blue cupboard got to do with anything Rocky?! I'm dying to know. :D
Click to expand...
The blue cupboard is mystery for us as well.
Guess someone crapped in a blue one once:) or mistook it for a crapper/outhouse once
Love sayings from different countries
 
Chris Davies said:
Here's Urban Dictionary's take on it (source):



Sources suggest it originated in the US, but I've only ever heard British people say it.

I would mostly use it to indicate a mistake that someone made that is impossible to hide or deny, that everyone has just watched happen.

It's rare that you hear the second usage of general surprise/exclamation, in my experience.

What's a blue cupboard got to do with anything Rocky?! I'm dying to know. :D
Click to expand...
the Argentina equivalent will be "cagón" https://www.wordreference.com/esen/cagón which literally will be "someone who shit a lot"/chicken/wuss/etc??? but I love how we tend to use eschatological humor to describe things
 
Maybe it's a Scottish thing, but to say someone "shat the bed" kind of means they've bottled it.

A more niche, football-specific reference up here would be to "Hibs It": I.E end up losing from a position of strength.
 
marqisspes6 said:
the Argentina equivalent will be "cagón" https://www.wordreference.com/esen/cagón which literally will be "someone who shit a lot"/chicken/wuss/etc??? but I love how we tend to use eschatological humor to describe things
Click to expand...
There is so many fun ones from all parts of the world.
My gf favourite (or actually mine) is when says "Cara de culo" about people being stuck up /idiots
For non Spanish speakers it means ass face or face like an ass
 
rockstrongo said:
So hope France win tonight, Spain has been dull all championship, like that old Simpson episode of football
Click to expand...
Spain was timing their form and energy from beginning of this tournament nor like Germany against Curacao (don't get me wrong)
and this is how you save till the end with a style like how they played against France it was pure masterclass.
I hope we see a great match in the final, and all the best whichever are you cheering for!
 
Vaporwave said:
Spain was timing their form and energy from beginning of this tournament nor Germany against Curacao (don't get me wrong)
and this is how you save till the end with a style like how they played against France it was pure masterclass.
I hope we see a great match in the final, and all the best whichever are you cheering for!
Click to expand...
Two very different but strong teams in the final, I've learned never to count Argentina out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom