Unai Simon<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Can Lionel Messi catch Kylian Mbappe after the Frenchman\u2019s two goals last night?<\/p>\n I would still suggested goals in the bronze medal match are worth less.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s an impressively quick turnaround from finishing a match in Miami at midnight BST. You have to admire the logistics involved.<\/p>\n Hopefully the players can finally get some rest are a ludicrously elongated tournament.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The England squad has safely arrived back in the UK, landing at Birmingham Airport not long ago.<\/p>\n Bystanders watch the plane carrying the England squad land. Photograph: Cody Froggatt\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Ed Aarons has come up with his player ratings for the England squad from this tournament.<\/p>\n It transpires that Jude Bellingham was quite good.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Senne Lammens will come back from his World Cup<\/a> frustration as a better goalkeeper, according to Manchester United team-mate Tom Heaton.<\/p>\n Lammens was at fault in Belgium\u2019s 2-1 quarter-final loss to Spain when he spilt Pau Cubarsi\u2019s 25-yard strike into the path of Mikel Merino, who fired into the roof of the net for an 88th-minute winner.<\/p>\n Lammens had come off the bench to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois in what was his only appearance at the World Cup. It was a huge moment for the 24-year-old but, having spoken to him in the aftermath, Heaton has no doubt the man who has locked down United\u2019s number one position will bounce back.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was obviously a challenging moment for him, but I think that\u2019s the life of a goalkeeper,\u201d Heaton said following United\u2019s 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki. \u201cAs soon as you put the gloves on and go between the sticks, you have to be ready to deal with that. He certainly is. I actually think he\u2019ll be stronger for it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think his personality is fantastic for a goalkeeper, so no issues there. It\u2019s obviously disappointing for him, but I do honestly think it can help him in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n All goalkeepers go into a match knowing any mistakes are likely to lead to goals and can determine games. Heaton is sure Lammens has the personality to handle it at the highest level.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve certainly seen that from him as a young goalkeeper coming into Manchester United and dealing with that unbelievably well,\u201d Heaton added. \u201cI highly doubt he\u2019ll be going into (the next match) with fear or worrying about what may happen. It\u2019s more about what you want to go and achieve, whilst also accepting if it happens you can deal with it.\u201d PA Media<\/p>\n Senne Lammens was unhappy at full-time after Belgium were knocked out of the World Cup. Photograph: Michael Zemanek\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Get in the mood for the final by testing your brain matter with this devilish quiz.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bukayo Saka hailed England\u2019s mentality after their thrilling 6-4 win over France sealed a third-place finish at the World Cup<\/a>. It\u2019s England\u2019s best finish at the tournament since winning it in 1966.<\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> My colleague Philipp Lahm has written his latest column.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe architect of Spain\u2019s vision is Johan Cruyff. He brought the 4-3-3 formation and a specific ideology to Barcelona. A cadre of tactical purists, such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery, refined his approach into a philosophy that has defined the playing style of the entire league, all youth squads and the national team for nearly two decades. Its principles include ball-oriented defending, clearly defined positions and roles, a high level of organisation, and technical, combination-based football. Eleven players operate as a unit, moving like a swarm.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, has internalised this guiding philosophy. He spent decades working in youth development at club and federation level, and his assistants are longtime associates. On the pitch, this style is embodied by Rodri, the world\u2019s best player.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fifa has been accused of providing an \u201copen door to fraud\u201d and allowing political influence to cast doubt on the integrity of the World Cup in a stinging rebuke by the Council of Europe\u2019s secretary general. Share<\/a><\/p>\n Niall Mullen writes: \u201cThe never ending introspection after England go out of a major tournament is the gift that keeps on giving. What does the Peasant\u2019s Revolt tell us about our inability to keep the ball under pressure? Do the Corn Laws mean we\u2019ll never truly thrive in a positionally inflexed modern game etc.? All of this disappears various penalties down the years aren\u2019t missed, if Gazza doesn\u2019t slow down in 1996, or if Jordan Pickford was a step to his right and had slightly longer arms on Wednesday night. The psychoanalysis of a nation based on the bounce of a ball is obviously absurd, but it is hugely entertaining. So please keep it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR!!!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Goalkeeper Radek Vitek is ready to leave Manchester United in search of regular first-team football.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Bristol City, where the former Czech Republic Under-21 international kept 12 clean sheets in 41 appearances.<\/p>\n With Senne Lammens having locked down United\u2019s number-one spot since joining last September and Karl Darlow freshly arrived as his new number two, Vitek knows he must leave Old Trafford to further his development and is ready to make the move permanent if necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel great and ready to go again somewhere to hopefully be number one,\u201d Vitek said after playing the second half of United\u2019s 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki. \u201cI hope there will be some interest. I think you will know when the things are more concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n Vitek, who has been linked with Scottish champions Celtic, has two years left on the United contract he signed last summer. He joined United as a 16-year-old from Czech club Sigma Olomouc and spent time on loan with Accrington and Austrian club BW Linz before spending last season in the Championship.<\/p>\n Asked if he preferred a loan or a permanent move, Vitek added: \u201cI\u2019m ready for both to be fair. It depends on what the club wants and also depends on the options and, yeah, we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a few interests on the table, but we\u2019re hoping to get the best one and hopefully it will happen soon. I want to play every week and that\u2019s the goal for next season. Hopefully I find out soon where that\u2019s going to be.\u201d PA Media<\/p>\n Radek Vitek featured for Manchester United in a friendly on Saturday. Photograph: Ash Donelon\/Manchester United\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a> double quotation markThe Nobel prize-winning economist Simon Kuznets said there were four types of countries: developed, underdeveloped, Japan and Argentina<\/a>. Not fitting easily into a type, especially in our binary times when complexity and nuance have become increasingly alien to our processing abilities, is characteristic of Argentina and its people.<\/p>\n There is a meme doing the rounds that says: \u201cTo kick the Spanish out, first we had kick out the British. History is cyclical and repeats itself.\u201d The image is of battles of independence more than two centuries ago, and the reference is to two British military incursions met with enough resistance to stop them. We learn about the British invasions<\/a> in primary school in Argentina but I have never met a Briton who has heard of them.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks Daniel. Larks galore await!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Righto, that\u2019s it from me for now. Here\u2019s Will Unwin, who\u2019ll croon you through the next bit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s amazing, really, the environment Scaloni has cultivated for his squad. Their sense of mission is palpable, the sense of destiny mystical, and their unity in that supernatural. How well that works against Spain\u2019s composure will go a long way towards settling our final.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n double quotation markFor England, watching Sunday\u2019s final will be painful. Why can\u2019t we cross the line? Is it to do with our social, cultural makeup? I believe it is to do with the mental part of the game. At the highest level you have to train your muscles in your brain as much as you train the rest of your body, to be able ensure emotion doesn\u2019t plague your performance under pressure. We have to ask ourselves, why are Argentina so successful at delivering when it really matters and we\u2019re not?<\/p>\n This is not about tactics, it is not about substitutions. We are being shortsighted and emotional when we discuss those things straight after a semi-final defeat. Long term, we have to ask what is it in our psyche that we haven\u2019t addressed as a nation to overcome this? And how do we all contribute to that; players, coaches, fans, media, clubs \u2026 all of us?<\/p>\n I think this point is reflected in the difficulty English football has with controlling midfielders, players able to remain calm in the maelstrom, in favour of box-to-boxers charging about, exhorting their teammates to yet greater physical effort.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Emma Hayes has been, for mine, the best pundit on UK telly. I\u2019m delighted to embed her in written form.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re just under way at Lord\u2019s\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Email! \u201cI know not many people pay attention to the Olympics,\u201d writes Santi Alonso, a nervous Spain fan in the UK. \u201cBut after winning the Euros, Spain had a barnstorming final against Henry\u2019s France. Ferm\u00edn and Alex were part of the Euros squad and went on to win the gold medal and, due to Ferm\u00edn\u2019s injury Alex finds himself in a unique position. Should Spain win today, he would simultaneously be reigning European champion, reigning Olympic champion and reigning world champion. That exact three-crown status would be unprecedented. Quite literally the most complete reigning international champion any male footballer has ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n Decent haul, in fairness.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I daresay the sides will be hoping for different things from the ref. Spain will want Slavko Vincic to punish fouls and dish out cards, while Argentina will hope he gives players a chance or two and lets the game flow. I\u2019m not foreseeing a classic.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Argentina have scored goals, yes, but doing so against Spain is a different proposition to against any other team, requiring a level of efficiency in possession and ruthlessness when converting chances. In Messi and Juli\u00e1n Alvarez, they have players able to bag out of nothing, but whether they\u2019re afforded requisite opportunity to make that happen is far from a given.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n I do wonder, though, if Argentina will change systems, as I\u2019m not sure you can beat Spain with a 4-4-2. France\u2019s 4-2-3-1 cost them the game, I think, Deschamps\u2019 major error not leaving out a wide attacker for an extra midfielder. Though De la Fuente\u2019s men aren\u2019t the greatest in attack, the control they\u2019ll have if Rodri, Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz and Dani Olmo have only Leandro Paredes and Alexis Mc Allister tracking them will surely be too great for them to be seriously threatened.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n But should Argentina man-mark Rodri? I\u2019m minded \u2013 of course \u2013 of the time Sam Allardyce stuck Kevin Davies on Claude Mak\u00e9l\u00e9l\u00e9, and I\u2019m certain Scaloni is too. Thing is, Rodri is a different league as a player, stronger, cleverer and a better passer; perhaps it\u2019d make more sense to try cutting off his passing angles.<\/p>\n Rodri in action against France. Photograph: DeFodi Images\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.35 EDT<\/p>\n I can\u2019t think of any reason to man-mark Messi. He barely features in the game these days, so to take a man away from your own team takes away the advantage of a contest that, at times, is 11v10. What Spain must do is track his run when he attacks the box and, er, um \u2026 not allow him unchallenged possession just outside their box for 15 minutes straight until he conjures something.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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 event, 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\u00a006.40 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![\"Philipp](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/philipp_lahm.png\")
Philipp Lahm<\/p>\n
In an open letter published to coincide with Sunday\u2019s final, Alain Berset also called for a new integrity framework to be built before the 2030 tournament, which is mainly being staged in Europe, and warned that Fifa<\/a> was embroiled in a crisis involving money and power.<\/p>\n![\"Marcela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/marcela-mora-y-araujo.jpg\")
Marcela Mora y Araujo<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/10941688.gif\")
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