World Cup 2026

[Window Cleaner]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

The squad balance was really poor. 

I guess now we know why Chalobah was brought in...we needed as many centre backs as possible.

 

Chalobah was a good player when Pochettino used him correctly. 

[Saint Pete]

I can of course see why Tuchel is getting lots of stick for this and agree that much of it is deserved. But it's a mistake in my view to put what happened 100% on the manager if we want to improve in the future. 

I don't know if folks saw the stat given after the game last night that England had just 12% possession between taking the lead and Argentina's winner. That is crazy and the change in the game was immediate after we scored and before the subs started. To me, it felt like the players didn't have the belief that we could kick on and win that game after getting in front and that is at least as much mental as it is tactical. We stopped doing the basic building blocks of our game; passing to each other, keeping possession, building attacks, closing down crosses. All of it fell apart. It reminded me of a Golf or Tennis major where someone not used to winning gets near the finishing line and the basics of their normal game and technique crumble. Basically, the players choked and that is not all down to the manager. I don't think Tuchel was stood on the touchline after Gordon scored shouting "Everyone, retreat into your own box, let them have all the ball and don't close down crosses!" Those things happened because our players froze and didn't have the belief to continue playing their normal game. In the moment their belief should have soared having gone in front, it was the exact opposite and they went into their collective shell thinking of the finishing line. So disappointing as I don't believe this Argie team are great by any means but we made them look amazing in that last 35 minutes. 

That said, Tuchel's changes did nothing to help and if anything resulted in us retreating even further. And I agree with comments about his squad selection which has hampered us throughout the tournament, plus his refusal to play certain players he selected that could have helped us, eg Mainoo. 

But simply sacking Tuchel and putting in An Other without dissecting the reasons for the failings of the players described above won't result in us winning this type of game in the future. 

[gio1saints]

 

The goodwill TT got for making the Semi was smashed by the sheer pathetic manner of our defeat.
 

Most of us can accept Get beat bravely, get beat by cheats, get beat with bad luck, get beat by better team- but when the single biggest factor is your manager making high quality England players look like a bunch of hopeless amateurs that’s not on.
 

TT subs made it like he tried to win the WC semi final managing a plucky but inferior second division team trying to hold onto a lead vs a proper big club in the FA Cup. That was humiliating to watch. England are not some WR 275 shit team. We had every right to stand up to anyone and give our best. Not adopt that inferiority approach. Not Good enough. He cannot manage Eng again. 

Edited 3 hours ago by gio1saints

[saintant]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

likewise. Still extremely annoyed. Normally I'm just gutted, but Tuchel fucked us.

I'm reasonably chilled because I could see no way we'd have beaten Spain in the final. Better to be disappointed now than more so on Sunday. Having said that our tactics after taking the lead were pathetic and I think that was down to a combination of players and manager decision making.

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, Sunglasses Ron said:

Don't worry everyone, the BBC is here to make us feel better:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gy5jwjvz7o

I wanted to follow their advice and go for a walk, but then i remembered the advice they also gave on how to stay alive during this heat which was to stay in a cool place with the windows open so im fucked.

[AlexLaw76]

 

[whelk]

1 hour ago, Sunglasses Ron said:

Don't worry everyone, the BBC is here to make us feel better:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gy5jwjvz7o

Not one mention of having a wank!

[whelk]

46 minutes ago, saintant said:

I'm reasonably chilled because I could see no way we'd have beaten Spain in the final. Better to be disappointed now than more so on Sunday. Having said that our tactics after taking the lead were pathetic and I think that was down to a combination of players and manager decision making.

An odd outlook to sporting events. Do you apply that with Saints?

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

1 minute ago, whelk said:

Not one mention of having a wank!

Cold be a typo when they say walk the dog?

[Sunglasses Ron]

34 minutes ago, whelk said:

Not one mention of having a wank!

I abstained from that activity during the world cup in the hope it would produce good karma.

That went well.

Edited 1 hour ago by Sunglasses Ron

[badgerx16]

Now this is truly a trick of fate.......

Lionel Messi meets Lamine Yamal for the first time

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9w0j104rvgo

Edited 1 hour ago by badgerx16

[AlexLaw76]

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EoXSVeZmE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[Challenger]

Aaaaw, the Argies brought a Malvinas banner to the game . Bless

Actually, them being continually eaten away over this ( as I have witnessed first hand there), does help me somewhat after last night's game.

 

 

[Saint Pete]

27 minutes ago, Challenger said:

Aaaaw, the Argies brought a Malvinas banner to the game . Bless

Actually, them being continually eaten away over this ( as I have witnessed first hand there), does help me somewhat after last night's game.

 

 

Can you imagine the uproar if the England team paraded a political banner on the pitch openly baiting the opposition like that? There would be international outrage, calls for expulsion, suspensions, etc no doubt! As it's Argentina, sure it will be quietly swept under the FIFA carpet though so that the Messi love in can continue in earnest for the Final. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

I wanted to follow their advice and go for a walk, but then i remembered the advice they also gave on how to stay alive during this heat which was to stay in a cool place with the windows open so im fucked.

I put a fridge on my head, and this stroll is going really well.

Would not shed a tear to see Tuchel punted.

[Wurzel]

3 hours ago, Chez said:

I still think international sides should have a manager (and every other position/job come to that) from that nation. International football is meant to be about what you as a nation has to offer. 

Agreed.

And to date no team has ever won the WC under a foreign manager. 

[SambaMaverick]

Pep is available...

[AlexLaw76]

18 minutes ago, Wurzel said:

Agreed.

And to date no team has ever won the WC under a foreign manager. 

I’d start with players representing the country where they were born.

[badgerx16]

14 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

I’d start with players representing the country where they were born.

Haaland to replace Kane ?