England tried to play it safe and parked the bus in low block against a great attacking Argentina side and invited pressure for the last 25 minutes or so. Gigantic mistake but the American in me finds crying Englishmen to be kind of delicious. England even trying to start a fight at the end but Argentina having none of it because they already destroyed England....AGAIN.
The most damning thing for England is that 3 other teams tried the same thing against Argentina and lost in this tournament... Pete (thinks maybe they'd have noticed that)
And your own roster! England had an offense heavy team and decided not to use it. Pete (thinks that's particularly true of their available bench players)
I really liked how Ismail minimized his involvement in the outcome of the game…kept players safe and let the play determine the outcome. Well done.
“At the 2026 World Cup, Lionel Messi ranked dead last — 618th of 618 outfield players — in distance covered. He also finished first in goals. He walks for 95% of the match. He barely presses, barely tracks back, barely sprints. And he just became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history — more than Pelé, more than Ronaldo, more than Klose. This is why the player who runs the least is the most decisive on the biggest stage. The intelligence behind the walking, the system Scaloni built to let him stand still, and why the World Cup is the exact environment that suits him best. That's not decline. That's the perfection of efficiency.” Why Messi Walks 95% of the Game
That is not true. There have been a bunch of players who never set foot on the pitch in a match. They MUST have covered less ground!
I was just thrilled to see the elderly walker sprint to win possession on a 50/50…too often so called ‘stars’ stand and watch that ball go…conservation of greatness and exercising of greatness.
His sprints per game in the 2022 WC were 6.x and have dropped to 2.x. He literally walks or doesn’t move 95% of the time.
I think you'll enjoy the video. People claiming he walks are correct. People complaining that he walks are not soccer smart.
It's not the system, it's because the other 10 players on the field, most stars on their own teams, are happy to do his running because he leads them to glory.
“Messi ran 5.2 miles vs. England. That is the most he's run in a match this World Cup that didn't go to extra time. Left it all out on the field ” The sprint I pointed out is when I clearly saw (in this WC) he still has enormous passion for the game. The assists were nice, the right footed cross was sublime…but when the team had to play like a team, he too dug deep. As an old coach, that is the thing I valued the most of my teams. Winning is fun, valuable work that is not just for you is the essence of so many things. Love seeing it oh, and I’m often overly harsh on the opposite, doubly when they act like they are more important than the rest of the team.
Interesting quote/fact? This is the first time ever that the World Cup final will be between the reigning Copa América champions and the reigning European champions