Atlanta, agony and the questions Tuchel must answer
16.07.26, 13:00 Updated 16.07.26, 15:09 3 Minute Read
Phil Martin
Atlanta, agony and the questions Tuchel must answer And so, the morning after the night before in Atlanta and that all-too-familiar feeling of emptiness. But this one feels different, there’s also an underlying sense of anger. It’s not recency bias; this is worse than Croatia in 2018. Worse than Italy at Wembley. Worse than Spain. That is because England were in control, and the route to the final suddenly seemed so clear. This one was self-inflicted.
For an hour, England had done almost everything right. Argentina are world champions for a reason, but they had hardly laid a glove on England. Yes, possession increasingly belonged to Lionel Messi and his teammates after the goal, but meaningful chances were scarce. Beyond a superb Jordan Pickford save to deny Alexis Mac Allister just before the water break, England looked relatively comfortable. They were organised, disciplined and still carrying a moderate threat of their own.
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Phil Martin Author, journalist and veteran of eight major tournaments, and England top capper, with a background in sports writing, editing and publishing.