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England v Argentina | World Cup Semi Final | 15 July 2026
Comments
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We’ll end up playing Bellingham as a false 9MarcusH26 said:There is an interesting point to be made. Where's the next England striker coming from? The likes of Delap aren't going to be up to it and okay Kane and Watkins will probably be around for the next Euros but there's not a lot out there. Plenty of exciting wide and attacking midfielder talent but not an out and out goalscorer.5 -
Probably nailed it.Covered_End_Lad said:
We’ll end up playing Bellingham as a false 9MarcusH26 said:There is an interesting point to be made. Where's the next England striker coming from? The likes of Delap aren't going to be up to it and okay Kane and Watkins will probably be around for the next Euros but there's not a lot out there. Plenty of exciting wide and attacking midfielder talent but not an out and out goalscorer.1 -
Bellingham, Rogers, Saka and Gordon front 4 perhaps2
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Im just angry now.
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We struggled past Congo who if I recall hit the post to nearly make 2 nil
Mexico our best performance despite being down to 10
Norway hit the bar and Sorloth missed a glaring opportunity to square it to Haaland
Apart from the goal did we have another shot last night?
We're too timid we have players to hurt teams but can't seem to do it.5 -
Maybe that proves that you should ALWAYS, if you consider yourselves a big football nation, have a manager of your own nationality.Kindoncasella said:People banging on about the manager but who is Argentinas manager? Not exactly what you would call "elite" is he. Argentina players were better at dribbling and passing in tight areas last night, that was the difference for me.
Same for Spains manager too.
You simply choose the best you have available from that pool, just as you do with the players.
If, after a diligent interview process, you conclude that Lampard is the man for the job, or even (somewhat tongue in cheek) Henderson and Stones as joint player managers, then so be it. No Pep, no Poch, no pooch or Pedro f***ing Pony from Peppa Pig.
Just get an English guy to manage England.2 -
Minor moment that really killed our momentum yesterday.Pickford, in the 59th minute, pissed about with the ball and we nearly shit the bed.
We never recover after that.6 -
Maybe they should use the third place game to practice not sitting back. If for whatever reason we score first, there is nothing to really lose, so stick on Saka and go at them even harder. If it is just a mental thing, there shouldnt be an issue when the game is meaningless.5
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It’s like you’ve forgotten about Ivan Toney…unforgivable…cabbles said:Deep down I think we don’t have the talent/quality/experience as there has been some pretty ropey moments/performances during the tournament, and we’ve relied on Bellingham to pull us through and in a similar vein Kane (you could make the same argument about Argentina given Egypt and Switzerland), but it’s the context of last night that has me still seething. We got 30 minutes from a final and when we took the lead, the game was tight and our goal was class. The first few minutes of going ahead, keep it tight of course. But what followed was unforgivable and for me on the manager. Do I think on balance of the tournament we should be in the final, probably not. Argentina did deserve to go through last night, but it’s only after we completely imploded in how we set up
I concur with AFKA re watching a Charlton game. I messaged my mates before they equalised and said it’s reminding me of our league one playoff final against Orient. We led, Jones decided to shut up shop and we saw it out. The difference was we were playing Orient, not Argentina
I don’t see anyway back for Tuchel but it appears the FA is backing him. Kane has potentially got the 2028 Euros in him, but the next WC is beyond him. We’ve got absolutely no-one to replace him. A huge hole to fill
I think we’re probably now going to have to go through a period of a rebuild. What a shame for Bellingham given his age and talent. If we just had 2/3 more of his ilk then we’d be a force.1 -
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This is the longest office day ever....2
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There's probably a Toney or Watkins type - someone who'll be playing for a Championship club or something now and will push on next couple of years.MarcusH26 said:There is an interesting point to be made. Where's the next England striker coming from? The likes of Delap aren't going to be up to it and okay Kane and Watkins will probably be around for the next Euros but there's not a lot out there. Plenty of exciting wide and attacking midfielder talent but not an out and out goalscorer.
Or some 17 year old in an academy who will suddenly break through.
4 years is a long time.
May be nowhere near as good as Kane, of course, and we're back to Defoe/Crouch/Sturridge/Welbeck level strikers starting - decent Premier League players but not world class.2 -
When I was growing up, everyone wanted to be the striker
These days all the kids want to play in the Palmer / Foden type role0 -
MbickMarcusH26 said:There is an interesting point to be made. Where's the next England striker coming from? The likes of Delap aren't going to be up to it and okay Kane and Watkins will probably be around for the next Euros but there's not a lot out there. Plenty of exciting wide and attacking midfielder talent but not an out and out goalscorer.1 -
If you're tired up front and in midfield, then you bring on replacement attacking players and midfielders. Argentina wouldn't have been able to go all out attack for 30 minutes if we had some pace up front, as they would have been petrified of conceding a second goal.Callumcafc said:https://x.com/zonal_marking/status/2077665840590143531
Same old England. On first viewing I thought Tuchel’s subs were disastrous. On second viewing, the retreat happened beforehand, a consequence of Argentina pushing on & England being exhausted. The three defensive subs did make sense.
First sub: England had ended up in a back five/six beforehand after Argentina used four up top. Gonzalez on down the left completely changed the game. If you’re going to end up with Rogers/Gordon as an uncomfortable wing-back, you may as well play a proper back five.
Second/third subs: James injured. Burn on & Konsa across: a bit primitive, but OK. Rice was done. England’s problem had been on the near side with Messi and De Paul's crossing. O’Reilly - who played midfield for two months last season - was a decent choice for the left.
Gonzalez stopped being the key player after the change on the far side. De Paul was shut down quickly by O'Reilly. The first goal was getting caught out at a short corner. The second: well, O'Reilly showed Messi onto his right foot. Shame he's quite good with that one too.
Of course: they ended up with no countering threat, no out-ball, nothing to make Argentina scared about leaving the back door open. I don’t think the issue was the actual subs, I think Tuchel needed to be bolder about taking off an exhausted Bellingham and Kane with fresh legs.
So maybe it's about tiredness as much as tactics. The Mexico altitude & the Miami humidity were unprecedented physical tests. And therefore maybe the error in this game was the first half high press - out of keeping with anything else at this World Cup - which cost England later.
We had the players on the bench to do that, the likes of Watkins, Saka and Rashford. Or Madueke, who might be erratic, but is still capable of scoring.
And Tuchel chose not to bring replacement engine room midfielders like Wharton or Scott. And not to bring technical players like Foden or Palmer, who might have kept the ball. Or to use Mainoo at all.6 -
Mark Douglas of the i Paper.
Not saying I agree and there will be other factors to take into account before then but thought I'd share.3 -
No idea what Pickford was thinking in this sequence. Or why Kane has put himself in the backline and is toe poking it out for a throw level with the penalty area.
In hindsight this sequence, not long after taking the lead and before any subs, is probably the beginning of the end. The players just completely lost their bollocks.
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Well at least supporting Charlton equipped me well for dealing with last night's disappointment. Cannot imagine how all those following the glory seeking teams are now coping.5
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Not exactly a novel corner kick routine from Argentina
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Both fullbacks in his team were left out by Tuchel from his WC squad.Macronate said:
Mark Douglas of the i Paper.
Not saying I agree and there will be other factors to take into account before then but thought I'd share.
No reason why Saka and Gordon won't be starters in 2 years. Gordon really grew into the competition, while Saka was clearly unfit this time. Dowman and Ngumoha are very young now, and they'll be just 18 and 19 in 2028.
And while I would have chosen Trent, you need a winger who can do defensive work in front of of him. Trent and Dowman would be a bit open.2 -
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Excellent from the PM's office.
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Bitter memories of the washed out feeling after the Italia 90 semi final.
But this time I'm just angry. It's bern said by many. We could all see it going tits up after the substitutions. To be honest he did a similar fuch up with Eze against Norway so last night wasn't a one off. But FFS. We have a history of this stuff. The Italy final when we were all over them but we gradually dismantled our momentum. I hope he puts out an attacking side against France. But even the squad is poor. Mainoo didn't get a minute. Madueke was relentlessly average but was almost always given game time.
I dislike changing manager as its disruptive, and I disagree with the concept that failure was tied to his nationality. But he's not a novice. He should have the nous to know the substitutions last night were going to damage us. But he didn't and we lost. Get rid.4 -
carly burn said:
Does the complete capitulation not concern you?ElfsborgAddick said:However desperately disappointing last night was, we should keep Tuchel and see what we can do in the European Championships.
We were 5 minutes from the final, BUT I do realise we gave the game to the argies.
We were sold the elite coach waffle but when we got to the ultimate stage he curled up in a ball in the corner.
Not for me.I do not disagree with the manner of the defeat.He should not be replaced because of this imo, fine margins and all that.0 -
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DamoNorthStand said:Maybe they should use the third place game to practice not sitting back. If for whatever reason we score first, there is nothing to really lose, so stick on Saka and go at them even harder. If it is just a mental thing, there shouldnt be an issue when the game is meaningless.
The most meaningless game in world football.
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They used the same flag at Port Stanley in 1982.Weegie Addick said:Hmmm. Wonder what sanction will be? Yet our fans can’t even bring in remembrance flags because it’s political?
But there wasn't any writing on it33 -
blackpool72 said:
They used the same flag at Port Stanley in 1982.Weegie Addick said:Hmmm. Wonder what sanction will be? Yet our fans can’t even bring in remembrance flags because it’s political?
But there wasn't any writing on itClassic.2 -
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I would agree that last 25 minutes was utter wank but in no sense was it like having one. I suggest in future your VPN be used solely for watching Charlton games when 'abroad'.CodeRed said:Now this is gonna sound crazy but I honestly believe that we enjoy getting knocked out of tournaments.. now hear me out.
Supporting England is like having a wank, you get all excited, prepare yourself for a period of joy, expecting an all time climax only to finish and have that post nut syndrome. You promise yourself you’ll never do it again, you feel disgusted and you delete your VPN only to re-download it a couple of days later because you are sucked back in to the feeling of excitement and the belief that the all time climax will happen.
If we ever win a World Cup, nothing will ever compare and international tournaments will just feel numb because we achieved what we all wanted which was to see England lift the World Cup. We find peace in not winning it because it allows us to get excited for the next.We are the hopeless romantic, believing a dream that is bound to never come true, but it’s addicting and the pain we suffer every tournament is what gets us excited for the next.In simple terms we are destined to never succeed but it’s that feeling that always brings us back believing that next time will be the year and that’s what makes us England.0 -
Club football is entirely different from international football.The likes of Guardiola will go to clubs and demand the players he wants regardless of nationality.International managers have what is available ,if they dont have a top class striker,who is the right nationality,hard luck you have to make do/Top club managers could not cope with that situation.The Red Robin said:
It’s nonsense that you need successful club managers in international football. It’s a different game almost. You do need those that have been through an international tournament, at any level.redcarter said:Kindoncasella said:People banging on about the manager but who is Argentinas manager? Not exactly what you would call "elite" is he. Argentina players were better at dribbling and passing in tight areas last night, that was the difference for me.
Same for Spains manager too.
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