Chelsea legend Petr Cech has blamed England players for the FIFA World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina. He believes that the manager, Thomas Tuchel, was not the reason for the defeat to the defending champions.
Speaking to FlashScore, Cech stated that the instructions from the dugout were to continue playing as they were and not to drop back. He claims that the players failed to manage the situation and handed Argentina control of the match.
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“He definitely didn’t want that style of play. Harry Kane himself admitted that the instructions from the bench were: ‘You have to keep playing, stay active and score a second goal.’ But the team didn’t manage it. The coach then explained that when the team couldn’t break free from the pressure, he added a defender, because Argentina were playing with four attackers.”
Cech went on to state that the decision to move to five at the back was normal to see out the game and added:
“He wanted to play with five at the back so they’d have the advantage defensively. But they couldn’t step up out of the second line or put pressure on the ball, and in the end, that buried them. It looks strange when a team like England let themselves get pinned back like that. On the other hand, I think the players couldn’t handle the weight of the moment and the closing stages of the match got away from them.”
The Three Lions face France in the FIFA World Cup third-place playoff next on Saturday, July 18.
England lost to Argentina after take lead in FIFA World Cup semifinal
Thomas Tuchel’s side started well in the FIFA World Cup semifinal, and managed to hold Argentina to a goalless first half. England took an eayly second half lead, with Anthony Gordon scoring in the 55th minute thanks to a stunning cross from Morgan Rogers.
However, they changed tactics swiftly after the goal and that saw Argentina take complete control of the match. The defending champions did have to wait for 30 minutes to pull level, with Enzo Fernandez scoring from outside the box in the 85th minute of the game.
Alexis Mac Allister hit the post twice in the second half, with Jordan Pickford also doing his best and saving shots. Lionel messi put in an inch-perfect cross for Lautaro Martinez in injury time, and the Argentina striker made no mistake to head home the winner in the 94th minute.
Edited by Sripad