Messi makes mockery of Thomas Tuchel’s tactics: how England were easily exposed

Argentina banished the ghosts of its past a long time ago. Its recent record carries no moral caveats, nor anything miraculous about it, despite persistent claims of favorable treatment. With Lionel Messi, even at 39, everything follows the logic dictated by the greatest player the game has ever seen. La Albiceleste once again overcame adversity to stake its rightful claim to the throne. It will now be up to Spain to stop them, because England could neither do it nor deserved to.

Lionel Scaloni made the surprise decision to hand Giuliano Simeone a place in the starting lineup. The move was designed to provide greater attacking depth while also offering Nahuel Molina extra protection at right back. Neither objective was achieved. Molina remained Argentina’s biggest weakness throughout, repeatedly exposed by Anthony Gordon’s pace and instinct. Thomas Tuchel also rolled the dice, bringing in Morgan Rodgers and switching his full-backs. His gamble initially paid off, but he ultimately undid all of his own good work when victory was within reach.

Very little happened in the opening half. The extreme caution shown by both teams produced a game that was painful to watch – worse than a trip to the dentist. The soccer itself was poor, lacking rhythm and continuity, with far more tension than quality. Leandro Paredes at least gave Argentina some direction, while Messi began to find pockets of space. It seemed like a scenario that suited Argentina better, yet it was England that capitalized on the overall lack of quality.

A chain of mistakes from Scaloni’s side allowed Gordon to open the scoring. Harry Kane received the ball with far too much freedom, nobody closed down Rodgers, and the new Barcelona signing easily got behind Molina to set up the move. It was obvious throughout that the Atlético Madrid full-back was England’s clearest route to goal.

Yet scoring proved to be England’s downfall. More accurately, it was Tuchel’s. The England manager became the architect of his own collapse through excessive caution. There was no need to retreat his entire team onto Jordan Pickford’s penalty area, pack the field with defenders, abandon the press, and allow Argentina to dominate possession in the attacking third. At the other end, Scaloni – like Luis de la Fuente, a coach renowned for his substitutions – stretched the game across both flanks, put his faith in Messi, and got every change right with the introductions of Rodrigo De Paul and Lautaro Martínez. Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, and Julián Álvarez also raised their level considerably.

England sank under its own weight against an Argentina side that understood exactly what the game required. Switching play from side to side with increasingly dangerous circulation, they repeatedly found Messi drifting into the right half-space, flooded the edge of the box and the penalty area with runners, and leaned on their pride as much as their talent. Soccer celebrates yet another Argentine resurrection – thanks to Scaloni and his players, but above all because of Messi. The captain took responsibility when the situation looked bleakest and ruthlessly punished Tuchel’s tactical overthinking. Given what unfolded, the German coach leaves himself open to heavy criticism. It is true that Tuchel employed a similarly conservative approach against Mexico and Norway, and that his tournament has been built more on pragmatism than style, but this time he simply went too far. He should learn from Messi and Scaloni.

Worse... impossible

Tuchel’s attempt to protect the lead by packing the defense turned into a complete disaster. With virtually the entire England team camped inside its own penalty area, Mac Allister was left completely unmarked on the edge of the box and was able to fire the opening shot that led to Argentina’s 2-1 winner. And if only it had been that one moment...

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