Knockout Stage General Discussion Thread

You got it. That is exactly what I was thinking.

And the pressure mentally is just different too. The whole world is watching and your country is living and dying with each shot and offensive attack by your opponent. Most players would say it is just a different type of pressure and heavy burden on your shoulders. ESPECIALLY a team like England that has not won in 6 decades.

 

Club level and national team level are much different
As club manager you can lose much more often and still win the title or enter in Champions League
Its silly to defend after 1-0. It makes no sense.
There are no special coaches who can win heavy matches.
Who is next English coach? Roberto Martinez, Lopetegui?
Even if they hire Luis Enrique, Ancelotti, Mourinho they still dont have excellent players in all positions.
They should bring Trent Alexander Arnold, Maguire, Cole Palmer…media will mention these players now.

 

I couldn't help but think that this is the worst thing that could have happened for England.
They were allowing so many good balls into the box by Messi and company.
There was no way England was going to be able to play 11 behind the ball for 35 minutes.

 

Spain were probably wishing they could play England in the final, because they don't match up as well versus Argentina.
The Argentines have the midfield to compete with Spain and can feed their attackers (who have been very good at putting the ball into the net).

It should make for a much more enjoyable final, IMO.

 

The balls he was feeding into the box were sublime.
The guy is so freakin' accurate.

 

No-one in England cares about 3rd place. It means nothing. Losing a semi final is losing a semi final and this team will be known as semi finalists not 3rd or 4th. It is also an impossible task with just two days rest. Tough for France with three.

This defeat is on Tuchel because the defensive tactics with no out ball were abysmal. We wanted a coach that would change things in an attacking direction when things were starting to go wrong. The biggest complaint against Southgate was allowing the game to run away from us against Italy in the Euros final at Wembley 5 years ago. That was a match and tournament we should have won. Tuchel just went ultra defensive and allowed the pressure to build. There was always going to be a spell immediately after taking the lead when Argentina attacked us persistently. We needed to weather that and keep an outlet up front and pace wide.

Most supporters want Tuchel gone after that. It was awful.

 

If I am Spain I really dissect the footage of the way Egypt attacked Argentina on the wings.
This could be the match they unleash the fury of Williams and Yamal. Could be difficult to stop. But if Nico is not healthy then obviously another game plan must be devised.

 

Argentina have the midfield to compete with Spain and have been playing with the tenacity necessary to win it again. Spain will not be comfortable and they will not be able to press against Argentina the way they did against France. This will be a fun tactical battle of midfields.

 

Spain keeps their cool though and usually sets the tempo. Ultimate professionalism on each line of their tactical lineups.
Their midfield will be the best Argentina has faced in many years.
They are favorites in my eyes.

 

Yes, engineered. Just like in previous games, the referee looked the other way on plenty of fouls committed by Argentina. Messi was offside before crossing the ball for Argentina's second goal. They've been benefitting from these types of non-calls all tournament long.

 

England was less than 10 minutes or so away from winning today. Nothing was engineered for Argentina. They came back and won the match and overcame adversity like they have ever since 2021.

 

They don't even need to defend much in qualifiers because they're so easy. You can't expect them to defend a lead like a club side but even then you should have outlets to relieve pressure. It was just sit back and hope. There was also the problem of needing to make more substitutes to bring the attack back into existence once they conceded, although Tuchel waited until they were behind. That was a foreseeable problem. Maybe he thought that conceding one in normal time was the worst case scenario and that he would be able to change things again if level after 90. Well, it wasn't the worst case scenario and he had to take ineffective panic measures after the winner that were never likely to work. It was shambolic management.

 

Sir, how do you sleep at night?

 

I sleep fine.

 

Even in England we're not saying that. We blame Tuchel not the ref. The ref could have got the cards out more early on but that didn't cost us. Sitting back and inviting pressure cost us. Fine with 10 men against limited opposition in Mexico but this was Argentina.

Spain should win on Sunday. They will just keep the ball and then put it in the net twice.

 

I would say that England lost today because you cannot defend for over 30 minutes when a guy like Messi is in front of you AND the refereeing was dodgy.

 

The prediction models point to a Spain win on Sunday. The prediction models also pointed to a France win yesterday and an England win today. Predictions have gone by the wayside in these semi-finals. Argentina are street smart. They are this close to ensuring Messi rides off into the sunset with two World Cups to his name. Scaloni won't be like Deschamps and give Spain the midfield. I would not be surprised if they find a way to neutralize Spain and steal a win.

 

I can empathize with Tuchel and, to an extent, the players for defending a lead until the 68th. But how do you not tell your boys to completely change the approach at the hydration break? That part for me is inexcusable, and I'm eager to see what he has to say in the media.

 

Argentina have shown throughout this tournament that they don't panic.
Even when they're trailing late, they stay composed and trust their game.

Spain also haven't faced a midfield of Argentina's quality in a long time.
If Argentina can control the middle of the pitch, they'll disrupt Spain's rhythm and create chances.

Another key advantage is Argentina's ability to play through pressure.
They're comfortable feeding their attackers even when they're being pressed, which means Spain won't have an easy time stopping transitions and counterattacks.

This won't be one sided, it's going to be a tactical battle. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

 

I'm glad I don't buy into those models.

Once you get to this stage of the tournament, there are too many variables that can't be quantified: mentality, composure, tactical adjustments, and who responds better under pressure.

Neither Argentina nor Spain got here on talent alone. They earned every result through discipline and resilience. At this point, it's not just about who has the better players, its about who can execute at the margins.

That's why I think this final is far more unpredictable than any model suggests.

 

I think France’s midfield is about as good as Argentina’s but it is splitting hairs.

Spain from top to bottom is the better squad but Argentina believes they are the better squad with Messi.
Should be a good one.

 

France made a tactical error by not flooding their midfield.
They allowed Spain to control it.
I don't see Argentina making that mistake.

 

I think France's biggest problem was that they thought they had already gotten to the final. Deschamps should have done a better job of keeping everyone grounded and also having a coherent strategy to beat Spain. Gab Marcotti of ESPN FC said as much in an article this morning. Deschamps is more a man-manager than a tactician. He seemed to think that France's attacking flair alone would get the job done. That's more hope than strategy. Against a team like Spain, you have to articulate clearly how you intend to get the job done and have your players carry out the plan. I hate it when managers overlook the obvious.

 

I'm with you 100%. A three-man midfield with Olise in the 10 role and Mbappe and Dembele as the strikers could have worked.

Argentina are very street smart. Spain might be favorites, but I would not be surprised if Argentina break up their rhythm and steal a win. It just feels like this tournament is one where Messi adds a second World Cup to his CV and can then ride into the sunset.