The match last night was crazy, England could have had eight in the first half, France eight in the second. Hard to pull any real meaning from it, but maybe for all if Kane’s goals, wonder if the game moves at a different pace with him playing, Eze, Saka and Spence played with real fluidity and skill, Rice had a good game as well. And the best France attacking line up is scarily good.<\/p>\n
Argentina has to go down as a learning experience for Tuchel, let’s hope that we take on board the points for improvement from that…<\/p>\n
The thing with Kane is he needs service, which is one reason I think his big-game record is spotty: it\u2019s hard to give him what he needs against the better teams. But it\u2019s also the case that England\u2019s wingers, perhaps with the exception of Saka, aren\u2019t providers, rather wide attackers looking to get themselves to goal. I think that\u2019s why, as the tournament progressed, Kane seemed to drop deeper, playing more as an attacking pivot than a spearhead \u2013 all the more so as England\u2019s full-backs weren\u2019t equipped to keep the width. The problem is not insurmountable, but for it to be solved, the manager must recognise it exists.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n To change the subject for a second and return to an old one, the more i think about it, the more \u00a3117m on Morgan Rogers is bizarre. It\u2019s amazing that Chelsea are able to keep spending like this, almost \u00a32bn done in four years; if that\u2019s within the rules, the rules are wrong, because it isn\u2019t sport.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Theren\u2019t many, if any, better at dissecting football and Argentinian culture than Marcela.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n I struggle to see a footballing route to victory for Argentina, but luckily for them, it\u2019s not really about that, rather a quasi-religious attempt to write their own mythology: they believe. And that is a very potent thing, especially when as the high prophet of destiny, they have Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n The extent to which the squad revere him, committed to doing his running, getting him the ball, and getting after anyone who dare foul or cheek him, is unlike anything I\u2019ve seen before. If Cristian Romero and Lisandro Mart\u00ednez play really well \u2013 and they are capable \u2013 they\u2019ve a chance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So to our final\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A bit of non-World Cup news:<\/p>\n I like Andrey Santos \u2013 in particular his ability to punch passes through the lines. He\u2019s not as good as Mateus Fernandes, who United hoped to sign, and in the end, quality is more important than value for money, but the arrival of Youri Tielemans for a bargain fee makes this look a fairly solid acquisition.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The miscalculation here is that football, rather than making money because it exists, exists to make money. Flogging tickets to corporates is no great genius and there is more than enough money in the game to keep it for the people \u2013 the problem is the lack of will and care.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n For England, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d want to use Rogers in the same XI as Jude Bellingham \u2013 initially, Tuchel felt the same and I\u2019m not certain why he changed. If you\u2019ve got Harry Kane in your team, you need wide players to service him, and Rogers is looking to score, not provide.<\/p>\n Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane \u2013 is there room for all three in an England starting XI? Photograph: Image Photo Agency\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.19 EDT<\/p>\n What do we think about this move? I guess I\u2019m glad he\u2019s not going to Arsenal, who I think need a winger more than a threat starting from wide \u2013 Christos Tzolis seems a better fit \u2013 and I\u2019m interested to see how Xabi Alonso uses him.<\/p>\n The fee, of course, is astounding \u2013 he\u2019s a good player but neither elite nor a cert to become so \u2013 but if any transfer succeeds, it\u2019s worth the money a club is lucky enough to pay for it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Watching England against France \u2013 though, of course, defensive intensity was lower \u2013 it was still noticeable how dangerous Saka and Marcus Rashford were on the counter. Had Tuchel sent them on against Argentina soon after England scored, Lionel Scaolini\u2019s men would\u2019ve had to respect it and might well have feared it, forced, at the very least, to leave defenders back to mark them, while their own team would\u2019ve had out-balls and a serious threat, meaning when they cleared their lines, it wouldn\u2019t have simply been to face yet another attack.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It find it strange that, given his team struggled for control and also to break down tight defences, Tuchel didn\u2019t give Mainoo a single second on the pitch \u2013 and seemed to have decided as much by the Panama game, when he brought on Henderson in preference. England desperately lacked midfield balance, control, poise and craft, a problem that eventually cost them \u2013 and is the main reason I\u2019d have given them little chance of beating Spain had they made the final. Anderson and Rice are fine players, but given Bellingham is essential, I\u2019d want only one, with the trio completed by a more technical and cerebral type \u2013 which needn\u2019t be Mainoo, he was just the only one in the squad.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kobbie Mainoo\u2019s position in the team-group shot is sadly perfect.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I can\u2019t say this didn\u2019t grind ma gears. In picking Henderson, a player miles off the standard and never likely to play in a meaningful match \u2013 with Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White, Fill Phoden and Cole Palmer left at home \u2013 the tacit message was the players weren\u2019t trusted to motivate and inspire themselves, the squad sufficiently complete to do without maverick and unique attacking talents. it was patently not the case at the time, and was shown to be so throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n double quotation markTuchel revealed that Jordan Henderson had delivered a speech before the game that had helped to put their achievement in perspective. \u2018He put us in the right frame of mind, with everyone in one mindset. It was unbelievable because today was very emotional. We built something very special in the last seven weeks, and we\u2019ll never negotiate on that. I still stand by my words, that we need to play better football, manage games better under pressure, take better decisions under pressure. We need to defend more economically.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tuchel shares his thoughts on game and tournament.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s Ed Aarons\u2019 match report.<\/p>\n Was Thomas Tuchel too sparing in his use of Saka? If he was fit enough to start and star against France, he was surely ready to deliver against Argentina, yet Morgan Rogers was preferred from the start and, in the even didn\u2019t even get on to the pitch. I can\u2019t say those are calls which looked great at the time, nor have they aged well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.14 EDT<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time the third-place playoff has delivered goals. I wonder if, in a match which does\u2019t matter that much to the teams, many of whom are nursing severe disappointment and regret \u2013 certainly so of England and France \u2013 defending is the first thing to go.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A score more tennis than football, but what do we think of England 6-4 France? Relive it with John Brewin\u2019s MBM report:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Greetings greetings! forty-eight teams, five weeks and 103 matches; welcome to World Cup<\/a> final day!<\/p>\n Of course we\u2019ll be looking back at England\u2019s absurd victory France, as well as forward to our Spain v Argentina denouement, the champions of Europe taking on the champions of South America with the former going for two major tournament wins in a row and the latter a fourth, including what would be a second consecutive World Cup and the first since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. Never has football seen anything like this.<\/p>\n So what makes these teams special? Send in your thoughts, and we\u2019ll also reflect on our best and worst moments, goals, matches, performances, players, and ephemera. Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/10941688.gif\")
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