Elite losing mentality & Tuchel's tactical suicide

Hindsight is 20/20.

It's easy to talk now when the damage has already been done. It's easy to point fingers - though the whole world is pointing them at one man with the initials TT - and say that this or that should have been done differently and better.

Either way, the outcome won't change - England threw away a winning position and lost the World Cup semi-finals to Argentina 2-1, conceding twice in the dying minutes of the match.

Football is passion, and passion is Argentina! Champion rises from ashes and shatters English dream

At first glance, it may seem that La Albiceleste pulled off a late miraculous comeback. However, whoever watched the clash must have felt it much earlier, somewhere around the 70th minute, that the Englishmen were letting the game slip away.

Around that time, both managers made their decisive moves and showed just how much they do — or don't — know - and yes, Thomas Tuchel, we are looking at you, but we'll come back to you a bit later.

Anyway, the Three Lions' losing mentality seemed to have prevailed one more time, and apparently, no manager can stamp it out. Gareth Southgate was close, but...

Before his spell in the national team dugout, England couldn't make it past the quarter-finals at either the World Cup or European Championship for over two decades, while the penalty shoot-out was their bogeyman.

Under Southgate, things significantly changed. The Three Lions reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and played back-to-back EURO finals in 2021 and 2024. Still, they failed to end the trophyless drought.

Tuchel's arrival sparked hope and raised expectations. After all, he knew what it took to win major trophies, stunning Europe with Chelsea in the Champions League five years ago.

Nevertheless, after last night's defeat, the German has found himself under scrutiny from the entire football world, with many wondering how he could have made such amateurish calls.

After Anthony Gordon's opener, England stopped playing football and opted for an all-out-defence approach with more than half an hour to play. Tuchel subbed on Ezri Konsa for the scorer and afterward Nico O'Reilly for Declan Rice, leaving his team with six defenders on the pitch!

At the same time, Lionel Scaloni reinforced the flanks with Gonzalo Montiel, midfield with Nico Gonzalez and Rodrigo De Paul, back line with Nicolas Otamendi, and attack with Lautaro Martinez, who turned out to be Argentina's hero.

Tuchel was thoroughly outcoached, tactically outclassed, and - embarrassed.

La Albiceleste could have scored at least five goals in the last 30 minutes, including stoppage time. During the aforementioned period, England had just 12% possession! Jordan Pickford came to the rescue several times, Alexis Mac Allister hit the post twice, and the Three Lions were on the ropes, fighting to survive. It was only a matter of time before they cracked, and it eventually happened.

Tuchel's decisions set the stage. England's losing mentality wrote the ending.

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Semi-finals

Tuesday

France - Spain 0-2 (0-1)

/Oyarzabal 22 pen, Porro 58/

Wednesday

England - Argentina 1-2 (0-0)

/Gordon 55 - Fernandez 86, Martinez La. 90+2/

Match for third place

Sunday

00.00: (2.00) France (3.75) England (3.60)

Final

Sunday

22.00: (2.35) Spain (3.00) Argentina (3.60)

***odds are subject to change***