2026 WC USA (et al): Worldwide Opponents Watch [all R's]

I have no idea what this is in response to, but I approve

 

Lol. Absurd.

Cant give that type of possession to about anyone.

 

No, it's proof that it's rigged, don'tcha know? European teams can't lose without rigging.

 

Worse it was obvious 5 minutes into the bunker that it wasn’t going to hold for 30 minutes. Tuchel could have changed the plan though he had already committed subs. Instead he tried minor repairs that very predictably failed. Truly coaching malpractice.

 

(I think that was part of the joke.)

 

100%, I saw it the same way, and saw it very early on. A couple of Pickford saves even preceded the McAlister header off the post. England were sitting so deep, it was clear as day that Argentina was going to score, and once they scored, it would have been a big surprise if they hadn't scored again before ET. I mean, just look at their games in this WC, let alone their extended history with Messi and this group. And they were INVITED to score goals. It was truly mind-boggling to me that England (Tuchel) thought that they could hold on to a 1-0 lead for that long.

It's kind of odd (and interesting) to listen to various analysis shows on youtube, and see the various levels of anger and disgust- but also mild criticism and even excuse-making for what Tuchel did. Some of the more well-known and established pundits tend to want to avoid harsh criticism, because they have jobs to protect. I wanted to hear somebody really tell the whole truth and expose Tuchel's historic blunders for what they were. I finally found one that I think is on the money, and helps to relieve some of the frustration I felt by having to witness that pathetic meltdown (and I'm not even an England fan- I just wanted to see a great game, played the right way)

 

2028 Euro is the last chance for this England generation.

They’re hosting it too. No excuse for that one

 

Thomas Tuchel took one of Rice or Anderson off in all seven England games at the World Cup. Only once did he bring on another midfielder for them, when Jordan Henderson got six minutes against Panama.

His decision to ignore Kobbie Mainoo is one of the many baffling decisions…

— Tyrone Marshall (@TyMarshall_MEN) July 16, 2026

He should have played Mainoo but this also goes back to his decision to not bring Wharton, Alex Scott, and other alternatives to Rice and Anderson who he would have felt comfortable giving minutes to (cause he wasn’t with Jordan Henderson even before his injury). Especially given Rice was clearly not at full strength throughout the tournament.

 

I mean last chance for Kane but a number of these guys will be back in 4 years. They were the 5th youngest team in the tournament and the youngest of the semi finalists. And they do have some interesting up and coming players. But of course so do France and Spain and Harry Kane one of the best 9s of his generation is a huge hole to try and fill (and arguably the best England player ever?).

 

🇦🇷 All 31 dirty tricks Argentina unleashed on England:

1' Mac Allister leaves one on Anderson
2' Paredes pushes Bellingham, leading to a confrontation
3' Enzo comes in late on Anderson pic.twitter.com/NpQsfiYS58

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) July 15, 2026

Ok this is hilarious from the English press.

 

This is a straight red card for Declan Rice for covering his mouth pic.twitter.com/FpsGHFmIag https://t.co/dmJmkCR1lb

— Ọládélé 🇳🇬👑 (@Oladele) July 16, 2026

I'm glad they didn't get actually get a red for this but still funny to see.

 

Argentina's quarterfinal was in Kansas City

 

Obviously the skill and tactical knowledge are big gaps, but how we played versus how Argentina acted when down were night and day.

There's just a gulf on that end.

 

I think a national team coach can do very little here.

Poise, composure and confidence are built with experience. That insane level of competitive drive is built years before.

 

I honestly think it came down to Tuchel more than anything.

England was ahead -- I don't think they had been better than Argentina but they got that one play. Perhaps Argentina comes back anyway, but when they moved to a defensive posture, that shifts your thinking as well.

Argentina just peppered them, but the tactics were to do nothing. Like the US, I don't really think England are built for the bunker mentality, and it showed.

If Tuchel just has them keep playing, who knows what happens... but not that.

 

Certainly can't give it to the best player of all time and a team with a slew of guys who hit bangers from outside the box.

 

The reaction after the Argentina goal by both sides showed they both knew it as well.

 

England losing every major tournament brings me so much joy.

The only thing that brings me more joy is England fans, for some inexplicable reason, not understanding why England losing brings the rest of the world so much joy.

Can't figure it out?

What was the difference between England and Argentina?

Argentina has Messi an England doesn't.

If England uses those same tactics against most teams at the event, they work.

I'm not even sure this Argentina team is actually all that great. They seem to pull the rabbit out of the hat every game.
But that rabbit is the best player who ever lived who springs up to make the right decision, the right pass, the right cross, the right shot..........when things matter the most. Its incredible.

 

apparently a new headline is natural selection is breeding out bald men. and favoring red hair. what a crock. a few years ago they were saying blonds and gingers would be extinct. i'm a big guy for science, but the press can seize one small study out of context and run with it. any glance around any room and you will see baldness ain't going anywhere, and i'd argue that we are evolving away from hair not toward it.....

 

is it me or did argentina have a relatively easier path than spain, and still had to come from behind a lot? i don't think they can handle spain, tbh. i think they haven't really been tested by anyone that good before england.

 

People have been saying Argentina haven't looked impressive and have struggled too much since game 1 of the last World Cup. Nothing's changed. If they lose it won't be because of how they looked while winning the last game.

 

Me, too.

I've developed this little theory / framework about long suffering fanbases who win. Most of them are the Cubs -- they finally win a title, everyone is happy for them, they are super positive and after they win, they are a very similar fanbase. Thankful for winning and they remember being loveable losers.

And then a few are the Red Sox. As soon as they won, they became the worst fanbase in baseball. Far worse than Yankees fans. Intolerable arrogant aholes.

You can tell if England ever wins, they are absolutely going to be Sox fans. They haven't won shit in forever; they are already arrogant dicks on the whole. How bad will they be if they win?

 

One of the things to look for in any field like this is extrapolation of trends rarely holds. People always act like things don't change -- or even that the very growth they are seeing doesn't often push back on itself.

Things like the above -- essentially aesthetics -- are especially prone because being different is always somewhat cool to people. Which is why actually redheads have been growing in % for a long time despite the whole dominant gene thing.

Another one of my favorites was the massive panic about overpopulation. People just drew a straight line and totally ignored the fact that every biological population has some self governance to it. There's lots of reasons why people are now having less kids but some of it is simply that there's too many of us.

And it'll be the same with the current underpopulation freakout. Oh, there's some economic implications but at some point people will start having more kids again, once there's much more of an equilibrium to what we want.

 

Its true. They've had an easier path. That's just the way the draw worked out after the Group phase.

..................but it doesn't seem to matter.

Every game they look like they're in trouble, but Messi pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

Its greatness at a level we don't even know what to do with.

He could win the Golden Boot at 39 years old.

The previous four golden boot winners were 20, 22, 24, and 23.

What Messi is doing at this World Cup really does defy logic.

It defies logic to such a degree that we all just sit back when he does something magical and say "Yeah, what should I have expected? A pinpoint, perfect cross with his weaker foot to win a World Cup semifinal in extra time. Sure. I believe it. Why not?"