Manchester United must learn midfield lesson from ‘English Scott McTominay’ and Tuchel failings | OneFootball

The time has come for England’s World Cup misery to be viewed through the scope of club fans, with Manchester United first up.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

The worst ever?

I’ve seen a lot of capitulations in my 50 years of being an England fan, but that was the worst. It was beyond incompetent, more like criminal negligence, if not actual corruption. Are we absolutely sure he’s not on Infantino’s payroll? He has to be sacked, how can any England player let alone fan ever have any confidence in him after this?

Regards Chris Tapl

The term ‘football DNA’ gets used almost every other day now, usually by ex-players and pundits like Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand bleating on about ‘the Man United DNA.’ Whatever that actually is.

Now Thomas Tuchel is at it, blaming England’s DNA for being knocked out of yet another tournament.

And you know what? He may actually be onto something there.

It must be part of English football DNA to appoint managers who are perfectly capable of reaching the latter stages of tournaments, controlling a match, going a goal up and then immediately shitting themselves and then stopping attacking. Completely.

I know it’s a radical thought but maybe, just maybe, if England reach a semi-final or final of the next tournament and go one goal ahead, perhaps they could try scoring another goal and trying to kill the game off, rather than retreating into their own penalty area and asking Dan Burn to head everything clear for the rest of the evening. Ant MUFC

The players deserve half the blame

A couple other mails have alluded to this, but surely Tuchel can’t take all the blame for Wednesday’s fiasco. There was a good 15 minutes between the goal being scored and his first sub, during which the players completely shat themselves and retreated into their shells. Some have since come out and questioned Tuchel’s tactics, but they really need to look at themselves too and question why they surrendered all attacking intent after they got the lead. Unfortunately it really does seem to be an English mentality thing.

Tuchel does still need a large slice of the blame of course, part of your job as a manager is to steer the team mid game, and his decision to lean into the defensiveness when they had options on the bench to stretch Argentina was clearly the wrong call, especially with 20-25 minutes minimum still to play. Usually I’d say this is just hindsight, but everyone I watched it with realised it was a bad idea as soon as we saw the subs board.

Anyway I’m looking forward to hearing other opinions as the dust settles. Lots of people who wrote in straight after the match put this 100% on Tuchel, I’m wondering if those who did still feel the same now the emotions have subsided a bit?

Anyway, onto a home Euros in 2 years! Dom

Watching Declan Rice and England capitulate as expected got me thinking about Manchester United’s midfield recruitment.

English football remains obsessed with “athletic, fast, ground-eating duellers,” but the best midfields are built on intelligence and technical quality: Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta; Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz or Zaïre-Emery. They defend and press, but they are footballers first.

To me, Rice is an English Scott McTominay: a good athlete who often avoids the ball under pressure, takes too many touches and defaults to safe sideways or backward passes. Useful, yes. Elite, no—and certainly not worth the fee or reputation.

England’s failure should warn United about what to prioritise. Running, tackling and recovery pace do not equal midfield control, despite what the media and YouTube talking heads constantly repeat. England persisted with Rice and Anderson together, and they were cooked. It is the Lampard–Gerrard–Scholes problem all over again.

United have recruited well so far. They should complete the rebuild by signing only technical midfielders who can defend their space and press within the team—not runners who are expected to learn how to control games later. Hopefully, the club resists the cacophony of regurgitated nonsense from the usual talking heads. Mike

Undone by Messi?

As someone uninvested in the England national football, I have to argue with any notion that you were undone by the genius of Lionel Messi.

As soon as the goal/bizarre collapse happened, De Paul stood on the right wing fizzing wicked balls into the box that should have led to a goal. Previously  (relatively) anonymous, Messi strolled over and took on that role, fizzing wicked balls into the box that should have led to a goal. Somehow* that didn’t happen. You were eventually undone by leaving a player that had repeatedly tried to shoot from 25 yards completely alone to shoot from 25 yards.

I just listened to Lineker and Viera on Netflix calling the Messi cross “precise”. IT WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WASN’T. He was running into touch and crossed it blind with his weak foot. The weight was perfect but, for the first time, he wasn’t aiming for anything and just hit it and hoped.

I know it’s comforting to blame genius or crookedness** on a defeat but England were undone by neither. If one of the earlier chances had gone in I’d let you wax lyrical about Messi, after leaving him alone for a full 40 minutes to try and emulate prime David Beckham, but it was just awful defending from bang average players. Stones you can forgive but Konsa has to do something. And where the hell was Dan Burn?

I’m slightly less uninterested in the Malvinas thing as Argentina has a disgusting fascist government and the timing of the banner, alongside the vice president’s tweet, suggests the players have problematic sympathies. Or they’re just bellends.

Martinez holding it is a problem and I hope he is sold because he barely plays and we sing that bloody “Argentina, Argentina” chant when he’s on. We’ve had a shocking record with Argentinians and, of all nations to represent our club, the homeland of Tevez, Garnacho, Rojo, Di Maria and now Martinez isn’t the one I’d choose to make a fuss over.*** Simon MUFC

*if MacAllister had his inevitable hair transplant before the tournament maybe one would have gone in. **Argentina have had identical incidents officiated differently in their favour, tin hat or not. ***Heinze begged to go to Liverpool, we lost 50% of our money on Veron so the only successful signing has been Sergio Romero, and I won’t sing about a cup goalkeeper 10 years later – even if he was a bloody good cup goalkeeper.

Why England won’t ever win a damn thing

Hundreds of thousands of words published already dissecting the fallout.

From what I can make out, almost everyone English is blaming Tuchel.

Convenient? Hell yes.

Honest? Absolutely f**king not.

Let’s be honest, the English press have been waiting for this. They went very quiet after a flawless qualification campaign,  but some of us have long memories.  We all saw the headlines, the “what? A GERMAN?” xenophobic nonsense. Now it’s back, in the form of scapegoating Tuchel.

Some of it is hysterical.  One pundit claimed it was a new low. Really? Worse than Iceland? Worse than getting walloped by Germany with a ghost goal in the mix? Worse than that? F**k off.

I think Tuchel has played a blinder with his subsequent “DNA” comments. Firstly because it’s a big f**k you to the malevolent media trying to chuck him under the bus. And secondly, because he’s RIGHT! England have a pathological inability to look after the ball going back decades over several generations, it is a deeply ingrained technical and mental deficiency that infects every England player. This exit was no different.

What’ll happen now, i have no doubt, is that when they get back to it in autumn,  you’ll start to see the precious little snowflakes in the squad leaking how he’s lost the dressing room with his comments in summer, and soon after he’ll be gone with the help of a more than willing media, ready to twist the knife.

England will never win a major tournament because the whole ecosystem in and around the football team is cancerous. That’ll never change. Andy H, Swansea.

Thoughts from Ireland (if you want them)

Well, I have to say that was disappointing, to score such a great goal and scare the bejaysus out of the Argies to meekly surrendering. I am firmly in blame the manager camp, he was brought in for these moments, and made a hames of it.

I do not particularly like the Argies, look like an escaped bunch of convicts and act like it too. Definitely up for Spain, apart from Cucarella.

I was surprised, very surprised at no Cole Palmer, he’s a gamechanger and Henderson effectively ahead of Wharton, honestly why would anybody think that was right.

As an avid premier league watcher I genuinely like to see England do well.

Roll on 2028, that might finally be England’s time. But for now, commiserations England fans, it hurts but you’ll be back. James Dublin

England’s psychological wound

One thing I’ve been wondering about is whether England’s recurring inability to see out big knockout games is partly subconsciously psychological rather than purely tactical or due to players/manager.

Across different generations, managers and squads, the pattern has often looked remarkably similar: England play well, take the lead, then gradually retreat deeper and deeper, inviting pressure until the opposition equalises or wins. That happened against Brazil (2002), Portugal (2004), Croatia (2018), Italy (2021) and now Argentina. At some point it becomes difficult to explain purely through the manager or the players (who are all/mostly at the top of their profession). I wonder whether it’s a collective belief issue, where protecting what we have gradually replaces trying to impose ourselves on the game. England’s retreat against Argentina after taking the lead this week felt like another example of that pattern.

That made me think about an interview with Jürgen Klinsmann on Stick to Football recently, who suggested Germany’s success between 1966 and 1990 was partly driven by a national desire to prove itself positively to the world after the Second World War. Whether or not that’s the whole explanation, it raises an interesting question about England. Every great football nation seems to have a cultural narrative. Germany’s has traditionally been one of relentless pressure and refusing to accept defeat. Spain’s modern identity has been about imposing themselves on opponents through technical superiority and control of possession – would they have shoved Scholes out on the wing?England’s, by contrast, often seems centred on resilience, courage and “backs to the wall” survival. Even our win over Mexico was celebrated as a heroic defensive effort with ten men in a hostile atmosphere, rather than as a victory over a limited side we would generally expect to beat. I wonder whether the Blitz spirit has become so deeply embedded in our football culture that, subconsciously, we become more comfortable enduring pressure than continuing to attack.

Of course, none of these narratives guarantee success every time—Germany and Spain have both had disappointing tournaments over the past 30 years—but both nations have also lifted major trophies while largely staying true to their footballing identities. My point isn’t that England should go gung-ho at 1-0 up in a World Cup semi-final.

No doubt its not conscious or an instruction from the coach – if every player just drops off 1 yard or hesitates for a second pretty soon that becomes very visible across the team.

The best teams manage games. But they also seem to believe the safest way to protect a lead is to keep playing, keep pressing and go for the second goal – see Spain v France or even the way Argentina continued to press our defence in injury time. England too often appear to believe the opposite: that survival is the objective. If that’s true, perhaps the biggest challenge for future England teams isn’t tactical, managerial or about who is picked to play at all—it’s changing the national footballing story we tell ourselves in the biggest moments. Until that changes nothing else will. Paul

Failure? I don’t think so

I have been reading Football365’s coverage, and two words keep appearing: “failure” and “unsuccessful.”

England lost a close semifinal to Argentina, the reigning world champions. They also mismanaged the final 20 minutes after taking the lead. That deserves criticism.

But does it make the entire tournament a failure?

Before the World Cup, Opta gave England an 11.2% chance of winning, behind Spain and France and only slightly ahead of Argentina. Bookmakers generally made England third favourites at around 7–1. The broad expectation was that England would reach the quarterfinals or semifinals.

They reached the last four and lost narrowly to another member of the pre-tournament leading group. In other words, they performed almost exactly in line with expectations.

Indeed, Dave Tickner wrote on July 15 in Football365 “This is already England’s second-best men’s World Cup ever.”

England clearly did not achieve the ultimate objective of winning the tournament. In that narrow sense, the campaign was unsuccessful. But by that definition, 47 of the 48 participating teams will have failed.

Surely there is a difference between failing to win the World Cup and having a failed World Cup.

England’s tournament was disappointing in the end, and the semifinal was poorly managed. But reaching the last four, broadly as expected, cannot reasonably be described as failure.

The players did well. The ending was a missed opportunity, not a failed campaign. JH Aruba.

A therapy session

I am not the greatest football fan, my heart doesn’t beat to the drum of a terrace chant, no parent filled my impressionable mind with their love of club or country and I didn’t play beyond jumpers for goalposts but I have been a football fan in all those gloriously painful ways of the ‘just a bit more’ than a casual fan. One of my earliest memories is of Maradona’s hand of God moment and I can remember thinking why is football like wrestling, they cheat and get away with it. Why is Diego Maradona like Giant Haystacks, surely it’s cheating and they should replay the match.

Less than 12 months later my city is ablaze with the glory of a cup run and I am glued to the TV as Keith Houchen delivers an incredible header and 10 year old me believes that to be the greatest goal ever, as Coventry City win the FA Cup (49 year old me is still putting that goal up there) and I am an affirmed fan from that moment. But the love, the real love of football, as for so many people is birthed by Italia 90, David Platt’s volley, Gazza’s tears and the kind of hap-hazard pinball good, not great but isn’t it worth it hard scrabble battling of an England team. I imagine it helped being a Cov fan, it wasn’t like I was cheering on glory for them. I even sat through USA 94 with no England, oh boy did I hate Ronald Koeman and it became a red hot love of the World Cup.

Then France, and hope before despair, Korea-Japan and the exorcising of Argentina, but then South Africa and aren’t we supposed to be getting better? Germany, am I being lied to isn’t the Premier League the greatest show imaginable, Brazil surely the conditions were too much and then Gareth Southgate why the hell have they appointed him, this is ridiculous but I did the FA Level 1 coaching badge and as I watched the team in Russia it was like a light-bulb clicked on. There is a method to this, there’s a plan and this is the plan and I can get behind this. It’s sensible and measured and a platform.

My joy in other sports and possibly a notable addiction to Football Manager means I am almost more interested in tactics and coaching strategy, but never completely. I will always have Keith Houchen to thank for that, the individual, the moment, the all out, everything given moment of footballing beauty that all fans have. Anything is possible, Denmark European Champions coming off the beach and Leicester City Premier League Champions. An England Team with Champions League winners, superstars, a plan and a manager who was putting it all together.

I looked away in 2022, was there a World Cup? I wouldn’t know I was sick of the money in football and had stopped watching the Premier League, deleted all the podcasts, stopped watching the news, before Covid even reared its head. Then at some point in 2023, desperate for something to listen to, I wondered if there was a Coventry City podcast and I came across the The Nii Lamptey show. They were fun and irreverent and loving their team. Fans who had done the hard yards of football, lived the heartache of the team being diabolical and taken such joy in promotion to the Championship and well they got me and having looked away I was back in and then Coventry are hiring noted big name but nothing more, Frank Lampard.

By the summer of 2026 I think Super Frankie Lampard is a hero and I am looking at football properly again and there’s a World Cup and this guy Tuchel has been brought in to add that tactical forward thinking to a resplendent set of weapons.

So consider me supremely angry, immensely let down and furiously underwhelmed by the weak-kneed, hesitant, cowardly management of a team of Lions. With the greatest of respect there is barely a player in that England team you wouldn’t have taken over his Argentinian counterpart, Messi always a notable exception obviously. They had Argentina where they wanted them. They held the ball, they jabbed at Argentina, probing in moments, the odd punch was coming their way but it felt low powered. The bafflement of England not getting to the byline often enough all tournament seemed to have led to the tactical genius of Morgan Rogers deployment, unencumbered by whatever malaise had befallen England’s winger’s and his first cross. That made me wonder where Harry Kane was, should he not have been on the end of it, or within a stride? A right cross that wasn’t potent enough and Argentina got away with one.

And then the commentator is complimenting a raking pass from Harry Kane and I am wondering why Kane is so deep, that was always a bad sign when Kane dropped deep before and then I am watching him and it is laboured and it isn’t yet half time. And now I am wanting to give Tuchel the benefit of the doubt, the joy, the talismanic nature of the captain, that’s worth a little lack of fitness and then I am watching Bellingham and it’s like every dribble is ending with the ball just behind his foot not in front. England are jabbing away but it seems a little laboured.

Second half, they drew Argentina out and wham! Left hook, a glorious, wonderful goal but Kane and Bellingham are nowhere near the box as the cross comes into Gordon. Hang on, 12 goals, all but one of England’s goals and they aren’t even in the penalty area. Get them off, get them off now and as I am watching, horror fills the pit of my stomach, no, not again, retreat. Kane has nothing. Bellingham has nothing. Substitutions are made but they are still on and England have gone from jabbing from behind their guard and unleashing a mighty left hook to covering up, they have lost all the punch and are huddling against the ropes, desperate swing as Bellingham runs down a cul-de-sac with no support and then the guard is a moment too slow and one connects with the chin, Argentina score and still I am looking at a spent figure in Kane and a seizing up engine in Bellingham, we have let Argentina off the ropes we hit them with one punch and didn’t follow up and now England are barely moving and the guard drops and there it is, the knockout as Argentina’s bright fresh striker capitalises on tired legs that have been going backwards.

Cowardice! Fury! On that bench is so much vibrancy and energy and ability to run with the ball at feet, to take a ball out of defence and give England a breather and Tuchel afraid of taking off his captain, feared what might be said if he took off the new young god and they had lost, well he didn’t make the positive moves and England did lose. He caved and this attacking minded progressive coach is just another sad loser and he has made these great players into losers and my final memory of this world cup will not be Bellingham bursting into the box, it will be Kane flat on his back dragging deep lungfuls of air into willing but incapable frame. Damn you and damn your weakness. This England team could have done it! Angry? Because the pieces are there and the depth is there and all that is missing is the belief they talked about and the trust in the squad and…stop Lying to me England Managers!