The World Cup final is set. Spain versus Argentina. A clash of titans that promises tactical brilliance and raw emotion. But for those of us who watch...
The World Cup final is set. Spain versus Argentina. A clash of titans that promises tactical brilliance and raw emotion. But for those of us who watched England's remarkable 10 goal thriller against France, the lingering feeling is not one of celebration for the finalists, but of profound frustration. How did England, with that firepower, not make it to the showpiece The answer, as ever with this squad, lies in the dugout.Watching the highlights from that extraordinary quarter final, one thing was abundantly clear. When Saka and Marcus Rashford were let off the leash on the counter, they were pure menace. Defensive intensity was admittedly lower than we'd expect in a final, but the danger was palpable. Imagine this scenario. Thomas Tuchel, instead of sitting on his hands, had sent those two wide men on soon after England scored against Argentina. Suddenly, Lionel Scaloni's side would have been forced to respect the threat. They would have had to leave defenders back, fearing the pace. England would have had an out ball, a serious outlet. Every time they cleared their lines, it wouldn't have simply been to invite another wave of Argentine pressure. It would have been the launchpad for a devastating transition. Simple, noYet Tuchel bottled it. Or rather, he overcomplicated it. The most baffling decision was his complete abandonment of Kobbie Mainoo. Not a single second on the pitch for a player who offers precisely what England lacked: control, poise, and craft in the middle of the park. It appears Tuchel had made his mind up by the Panama game, when he brought on Jordan Henderson in preference. That's a statement of intent, and a damning one. Without Mainoo or anyone of that ilk, England's midfield was a mess. Anderson and Declan Rice are fine players, warriors in their own right, but alongside Jude Bellingham it creates a lopsided engine room. Too much muscle, not enough brain. You need a passer, a thinker, a player who can slow the tempo when the game is frantic and find the killer pass when the chance comes. Rice and Anderson just recycle possession; they don't manipulate it.This structural imbalance is the main reason I would have given them little chance against Spain, had they scraped through. La Roja would have smoked them through the middle. They would have found the gaps and exploited the lack of tactical intelligence. The fact that Tuchel couldn't see this, couldn't adapt, is a staggering failure for a manager of his supposed calibre. So, while the world turns its attention to the final, we are left wondering what might have been. Argentina will be furious they didn't face a broken England side. And we, the fans, are left with that most painful of footballing emotions: the feeling that our team didn't just lose, but that they were tactically outclassed before a ball was even kicked. Squeaky bum time for the neutrals now, but for England, it's just another case of what if.
