How quickly can a coach turn a happy occasion into a tragic one? Today, Tuchel can tell you, in just 37 minutes.
England has a history of over 100 years, but has only reached the World Cup semi-finals four times. When they finally reached the semi-finals for the second time in eight years, they were leading Argentina and saw hope of winning the championship again since 1966. However, Tuchel decided to ruin everything, forcing the players to stage the tragic scene of "We are ready to fight to the death, why does Your Majesty surrender first?"
Tuchel's level of fraud is approaching that of Nagelsmann.
In fact, there were some signs of Tuchel's fraudulent behavior in the first half.
In the 4-2-3-1 system established in the knockout stage, it is understandable to start Rodgers on the right flank. This position can share the physical burden with Kane and Bellingham, so there is no problem using him. Therefore, in this game, Bellingham can be regarded as England's third midfielder, and the task of supporting Kane is actually handed over to Rodgers.
The real question is, how should we play on this side?
In the first half, Rodgers' attacking opportunities on his flank were few and far between. In the few instances shown, Reece James made his usual run down the flank and delivered crosses.
This also demonstrates Rogers' intention, after pulling to the wing, to have Rice, on the same side, join in from the flanks:
From the perspective of attack alone, this is certainly not bad, but the coach cannot ignore the lack of experience of the English players in the final stages of a major tournament. The players are bound to be timid, and even if they really commit, they may not be able to achieve the desired effect. Instead, they may be less effective and their stamina will be affected in the defensive phase and the final stages of the game.
So strictly speaking, Rodgers should take the initiative and use his upper body strength to bully Tagliafico when he gets close. If Tagliafico doesn't get close, he should decisively cross the ball. That's the correct approach, instead of trying to distract Tagliafico and then have Rice or Reece James come up to help.
Therefore, England's performance in the first half was not good, but their defense was good and very flexible. Whether it was high pressing or midfield defense, the distance between the three lines was maintained very well, leaving Argentina with almost no gaps. The only mistake was the defensive play in which Messi caused Anderson to receive a yellow card.
Of course, England's strong defense also had its problems with Argentina. In the first half, Scaloni instructed Alvarez to drop to the wing during off-the-ball phases, forming a 4-5-1 formation. This directly resulted in Messi being unmarked at the first moment of possession change, forced to wait for Alvarez to drop back from the wing or for McAllister to make a run from midfield. This was the main reason why Argentina's attack lacked speed and threat in the first half.
So in the second half, Argentina made a change of formation, with Alvarez returning to the center and the formation returning to 4-4-2. At the start of the second half, Argentina even took the initiative, with Tagliafico and Molina both coming forward to participate in the attack, the latter delivering a cross.
It was at this moment that England seized the opportunity during the transition. Kane finally exerted his energy to drop back and receive the ball, finding the space exposed in Argentina's 4-4-2 formation. He connected with Rodgers on the right wing with a long pass. This time, he didn't slow down the attacking pace and directly crossed the ball, allowing Gordon to score at the far post.
In this goal, Rodgers' role as a second striker was evident. First, he is right-footed, unlike a winger who has his weaker foot and doesn't need to feint before taking a shot. Second, he has a clear physical advantage. If Lisandro Martinez had been a step slower, Rodgers could have delivered a high-quality, low cross that was difficult for the defender to clear.
It was from this point that Tuchel officially began his fraudulent operations.
After taking the lead, Tuchel had Rice drop back into the defensive line and set up a 5-4-1 defensive formation. This wasn't a problem, because England's first goal was scored during a transition. You can't expect England to start controlling the ball after going 1-0.
The problem is that Argentina will press forward more aggressively because they are behind, and will no longer allow Kane to leisurely receive and pass the ball. Therefore, England needs more speedsters to launch counter-attacks and directly take over the space behind them. Even drawing a foul from Argentina and causing them to hesitate in their positions would be a good option.
However, Tuchel chose to replace Gordon with Konsa, not only deploying a pure five-man defense but also replacing the only winger on the field.
This not only completely eliminated any possibility of counter-attacks for England, but also created gaps in the penalty area that Kane, Bellingham, Rodgers, and Rice couldn't cover due to their height and weight. Messi and De Paul, among others, began creating opportunities for crosses with their left and right feet.
To address this issue, Tuchel went further, substituting Rice and Reece James with Dan Byrne and O'Reilly, and even fielding six guards on the court.
So, during the corner kick defense in the 85th minute, Anderson's positioning was flawed, and his attempt to help was too obvious, leaving an opening in front of the penalty area. This forced Bellingham, who was originally marking Romero inside the box, to quickly move forward, but he was a little too slow, allowing Enzo to equalize with a long-range shot.
At this point, Tuchel should have reacted, adjusted the predicament of having six defenders on the field, and restored the team's offensive and defensive balance, but he did nothing, remained indifferent, and watched as the England players gradually collapsed.
In stoppage time, England once again exposed a gap in front of their penalty area. McAllister's shot hit the post, and Spence, with a leg that was almost cramping, managed to clear it. However, Messi launched a second attack down the right flank with his weaker foot. Stones, who had previously made several clearances, finally misjudged the header, and Lautaro Martinez finished the game-winning goal from behind.
From England taking the lead to being overturned, in just 37 minutes, Tuchel used three defenders to take down the only winger and midfielder on the field, causing England to fall in the final in the most humiliating way.
If even a compromise can't guarantee survival, then why should England keep a fraudulent coach like Tuchel who takes office by making empty promises with PowerPoint presentations and then relies on the defenders to carry the team through the game?
Cutting it off as soon as possible is the right thing to do.
