The England team said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup with a bitter taste, not only because they opened the scoring with a goal from Anthony Gordon and partially won, but also because of the tactics used after that first score.
One of the main people blamed for the English defeat was the coach himself, Thomas Tuchel, mainly for his decision to strengthen his defense and “lock himself in” in his own area after the first goal, instead of looking for the second goal to secure the result.
Among those who spoke out about Tuchel’s tactical decision were analysts, commentators and the footballers themselves. The statements of the team’s captain, the scorer Harry Kane, drew attention.
The middle Ace points out that Kane spoke to the BBC about the 2-1 defeat against Argentina and, although he did not directly mention Tuchel, he stated that “with that level shown in the match, it is not enough.”
“We played a good game for most of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we just held on to the result. At this level, it’s not enough,” Kane said, according to Ace.
“After the goal, whether it was because they added more men to the attack or because we couldn’t match them individually, it was one wave after another,” added the English scorer.
He also stated that the elimination from the World Cup is something “that destroyed everyone, both the players and the coaching staff themselves.”
Kane said that, after England’s first score, the team was focused on finding the second goal, but that, after Argentina’s comeback, the idea changed and became “rescuing what we could from the situation.”
“We have had many good moments in this tournament, many good matches. Another semi-final. We are talking about knocking on the door,” concluded the Englishman.
Now, the final will be between Argentina and Spain next Sunday, July 19, in New York, USA.