The World Cup final is set. Spain versus Argentina. A clash of titans that promises to be a tactical masterpiece. But as the build up intensifies, the...
The World Cup final is set. Spain versus Argentina. A clash of titans that promises to be a tactical masterpiece. But as the build up intensifies, the football world is still picking through the wreckage of that extraordinary 10 goal thriller that saw England fall short. And frankly, I am baffled. Not by the defeat itself, but by the decisions that led to it.Let's talk about that game against France. Even with the usual knockout stage cageyness missing, the threat on the counter was plain as day. Saka and Marcus Rashford were like greyhounds in the slips. Every time England sniffed possession in their own half, the French backline had to retreat. Now picture that against Argentina. If Tuchel had unleashed that pair onto the pitch immediately after England scored, Lionel Scaloni's men would have been forced to respect it. They would have been terrified of it. Suddenly, a simple clearance from a corner doesn't just invite another wave of pressure; it becomes an out ball. It becomes a springboard for a devastating transition. It changes the entire geometry of the game.Instead, we got a midfield that looked as balanced as a three legged table. Anderson and Rice are good, honest professionals. They run, they tackle, they cover ground. But put them together with an exhausted Bellingham and you have a trio that is all engine and no steering wheel. Where was the player to slip the pass Who was going to slow the tempo when the game was a frantic blur England desperately lacked control, poise, and craft. That lack of technical composure in the middle of the park cost them dearly. It is precisely why, even if they had scraped past France, I would have given them zero chance of beating Spain in the final. The Spanish midfield would have played circles around that unit for ninety minutes.This brings me to the most damning indictment of Tuchel's tenure. Kobbie Mainoo. Not a single second on the pitch in a knockout World Cup. Not one. And what makes it worse is the evidence suggests he had made up his mind before the tournament even started. Remember the Panama game in the group stage When he brought on Jordan Henderson ahead of the teenager That was the tell. That was the moment Tuchel decided his squad hierarchy was set in stone. It feels like a manager who was so afraid of the moment that he defaulted to experience over genuine tactical flexibility. Maybe Mainoo wasn't the only answer, but he was the only option of that type in the squad. To ignore him entirely is a dereliction of duty. It is the kind of stubbornness that gets you sent home when you should be preparing for the biggest game of your life.
