England's "fear of failure" costs them against Argentina

0:08Alan Shearer:Hello and welcome to The Rest is Football. Well, we've been here before. We'll probably be here again. England are out of the World Cup. They'll play the third and fourth place playoff on Saturday and Argentina go to the final where they'll meet Spain. I'll discuss all of that with Joe Cole, Patrick Vieira, Ali McCoyst, and of course, Micah and Alan. And if you prefer to watch the show, it's available on Netflix. We've been here before, but this one seemed really, really hard to take. Yes, it was deflating, weren't it? Because we've been here before. I think it's the same problems, guys. I think it's a case of whoever takes England on and gets it done, you have to get over the hurdle where the fear of failure, it just paralyzes England teams.

1:0312 % possession after we scored the goal. And that just tells you that it's a mindset. We could talk about tactics. We could talk about substitutions and everything like that. It comes from the manager ultimately. and too many times there's like a panic that sets in when we're nearly there and we've got it and we just trip off our own feet. We do. And it is just, it's heartbreaking because, you know, I really believe today. I really believe. I thought we'd have too much pace on the counter.

1:36Alan Shearer:But you've got to believe in yourself. And the thing is, as soon as we went to goal up, and yes, we'd seen it before, they sat deep. But the substitutes that he made made that even deeper. He took Gordon off and obviously Konza on. He turns to a five at the back and he brings Dan Burt. And you're just basically going, right, okay, we're going to play a really low block against a team that are very good at playing against a low block because they've got Messi, right? So what they don't offer a threat in is if you play a high line and play up because they've got no threat behind. It made zero sense to me.

2:16Alan Shearer:I think tactically it was astonishing, to be perfectly honest. I mean, let's get a neutral, well, not a neutral perspective when it comes to Lally. I'll do my best. I can give you my best. I'm pleased for you. The subs, it was a negative move, wasn't it? It's easy in hindsight, but I think we all sat there watching the game saying exactly the same thing. I think there's always a different way of watching the game because, you know, as a French, when you look at the way the French played yesterday, where they didn't turn up at all, we get battered by Spain from the start to the end. And you look at the games of England today, I think they were into the game.

2:57I think we, when I was watching the game, I saw really like two big teams playing for the final. And of course, England was scoring the first goal and then losing the games 2-1 and considering this two late goal, you're looking at the changes that Thomas makes. And by the way, I'm a big fan of Thomas. But I think he gets it wrong. And I think when I look at his interview after the games, he knows that he makes mistakes. And I'm sure that if he reviewed the game and he had to play the game again, he will not going to make the same changes. because that impacted the result at the end. And of course, yes, he was quite 5-4, back five for midfielder.

3:44No space, of course, for Messi because he closed the central area. But Messi went on the right-hand side and he became even more dangerous. So the frustration, I can understand the frustration.

3:55Alan Shearer:Yeah, a lot of frustration. I would say I found it absolutely unfathomable that you've got, as a tactic, you sit everyone deep, you've got a plan against the greatest players ever playing football, and I think he's just cementing that game after game after game. Most goals in the World Cup, most assists in the World Cup, and he moves to the right, and you're playing a back five, and you still don't go, get tight to him. Just put someone on him. He had so much space. He just whipped ball after ball after ball into the box. The Mexico game, right? Who got sent off? You got out of 10 men. Who was it?

4:33Kwanzaa. Right, Kwanzaa got sent off. Kwanzaa got sent off. So I think it's understandable. More. It's more acceptable. If you've got 10 men, yes. Correct. Now, you are, with the substitutions that Thomas took, and I'm a part of it. I used to think he's a clever man and a good coach. I do. But I think you got it wrong. Got it absolutely wrong. The substitutions that he made, Gary, do one thing. Invite the opposition onto you. That's the first thing it does. It invites the opposition onto you. And because you're defending so deep, you can't get out. Harry Kane is brilliant, but he's not a counter-attack centre-forward that you can spin over the top.

5:18I said to Joe during the game, and I said to Patti, and we're all we're all experts of course we are but during the game the substitution I'd have made I'd have probably put Rashford through the middle and maybe taken Harry Kane off because he can get you in behind he can get you up the pitch because defensively you're just inviting them onto you and the big difference and I even I saw it when Argentina scored their second goal Gary right naturally the momentum with England is to score but Argentina Tina's approach to defending was 100 % different to England's approach. They didn't set back. They pressed you.

6:00They were pressing your centre-backs and pressing people in wide areas higher up the pitch. Whereas England just sat back and invited crosses into the box. And you've got four big lads, right, who will win the majority of the headers. But when you look at the pace of the crosses that we're putting into the box, I mean, we'll forget McAllister at the post with Heather. John Peckford's made a brilliant save. As long as they're having a chance.

6:23Alan Shearer:They battered England after that. And it didn't, it made no sense to me. But he said, after the Croatia game, he said, if we lose, we'll lose our way by playing aggressive, attacking football. He went totally against that, didn't he, Joe? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think there's something, like, I agree with everything Ali said. We sat next to each other and we both said, I'd take Harry Kane off. and it would sound insane. And I think, no, the fear of failure, I think Thomas Tuchel probably thought, you're looking at that game, you're dropping off. Argentina are at it, right? You don't have to go to a back five or you stick with a back four, but they're at it, right?

7:01You still have to press them. You still need an outlet, right? Harry Kane's your best player. And I think Thomas Tuchel thought, I can't take him off. I can't take him off. I can't take him off. You have to take him off, right? And then I love Harry Kane. I think he's the greatest centre forward of all time. But in the way, the rhythm of the game, you've got to react with a positive substitution and go right we need to we need to relieve the pressure in a valve we need someone who can spin and get it out or can hold up Marcus or Ollie Watkins anyone like that but I think we're you know we can't take Harry we'll wait another five minutes don't wait do it be positive see the thing is as soon as you make those substitutions that's your hands take you lose that goal you've nowhere to go exactly and that's what happened sorry But the biggest question is, do you really think the tactical side of the game can impact the result?

7:54But there is as well the lack of identity of the England team. We're not playing it. I think it's mentality. You don't play in your own game. I don't know if it's a mentality. Because when you're looking at Spain and you're looking at Argentina today, that big nation who used to win. I was quite really impressed by how Spain played against France. So good. I was really impressed. but they have this kind of identity. They will play the same way, winning, losing. And when you look at England, they don't have that.

8:24Alan Shearer:We suddenly change after you score a goal. It seems like the wrong... The other thing I would say, Patrick, is that there's a lot of teams played a low block in this tournament, but when England have played a low block, we seem to concede a lot of chances. Why do you think that is? Because the England way of playing the game is in the front foot. You have to go to press, you have to play with the intensity. First ball, second ball, but there is always a rhythm. And England players are not set to defend inside the box. It's not Italy. And I think the second goal they concede, you had the back five, the majority of them are 180, 190.

9:10Alan Shearer:Big guys. Like yourself. But they concede on crosses. Because Messi's accuracy is so amazing as well. Accuracy is amazing, but as well there's like the way you defend inside the box. If it was an Italian team, Lattaro would not be by himself. They would be players and he would not give them a chance to jump and to take that chance. So the approach in the last ten minutes, it doesn't represent England, I believe. I believe that. There's a lot of noise outside. Argentinian fans are arriving. they'll be here for the final make one for some team I mean I think it's also important to say well played Argentina I mean they came they were so gutsy yes they do you know all that stuff in the first half lots of but they absolutely outplayed England in that last half an hour and I think they were worthy of success Messi astounds me right everyone knows I've whacked a lyrical about Messi for two decades I've enjoyed his play and it's the first time he's played against England.

10:13Alan Shearer:And he, again, was the difference. But it was inexplicable to me that they didn't try and get tight to the one player that can destroy you. Yeah. But, you know, Argentina, I mean, you've got to give credit where it's due. You really have. Absolutely. This team is such a unique team because they've got the greatest footballer of all time. They've got fantastic, really fantastic players that can put their egos aside and give themselves to the... And you have to credit Scaloni for building this. They've won three tournaments in a row and are in the final again. If they do that, this team could go down as the greatest team of all time.

10:55I think that's their... Well, they can talk about the Brazilian teams of the 70s. Not necessarily individually. No, but as a collective guys. And you see the way that they started the game. You see the way the passion and that pride and that feeling that they have playing for their country. De Paul is playing in Inter Miami. In all due respect, he's playing in the MLS. And the MLS at the moment is, you know, it's okay for Messi at the back end of his career. But he's not sharp. He's not like he's playing in the European leagues where he's sharp. He turns up for Argentina. He could arguably be one of the best midfielders in the tournament.

11:32You know, McAllister had a difficult season, but when they come together, leading... I've never seen a team that have got this balance and this sort of like just a cohesion where... Resilience. Resilience and everything. And what was brilliant about them, when they were chasing the goal and, you know, you could be forgiven thinking, shit, 15 minutes to go. And we've been in that position. You're like, and then you're sling a stupid ball into the box and then it releases the pressure. No, they're waiting. They're waiting. Well, where's Messi? Where's Messi? and he's finding the space and they eventually get it to him and then the party starts.

12:12Alan Shearer:Alan, Micah, you were at this stadium. Tell me your thoughts on the match.

12:16Gary Lineker:Very frustrating, very annoyed. All of those things because we had a great opportunity. We go 1-0 up and then straight away you can see it. We've both played in these games before where I get it when you then sit back and try and defend. It sort of happens without you even knowing. But then I just thought his substitutions were really strange in terms of inviting pressure on, going with six defenders on the pitch and finding it impossible to have a way out because all we did was just sit back and Harry had to come back and try and defend. We just didn't have an out ball and that was the frustrating thing.

12:57Gary Lineker:When you've got that many players back defensively, then to not close Messi down or close Fernandes down when he's having the shot. I mean, he must have had five or six shots anyway to find his radar. So, yeah, it was a really frustrating evening after being so promising with holding him in the first half and then getting that goal in the way they did. Because we're crying out for width. We're crying out for putting balls into the box early. Rodgers did that and it was a brilliant finish from Anthony Gordon for him to get on the end of it. But then after that, everything was just downhill after that, Micah.

13:33Patrick Vieira:Yeah, I totally agree with everything that you said. But I did say to you guys, I saw this coming. I saw the signs against Croatia. They dropped deep, they conceded a goal in exactly the same fashion. Then you go on to the Ghana game. It wasn't brilliant. Panama, DR Congo. but I saw something within this team when they went to the Azteca against Mexico they had a nastiness about them they had a spirit about them that they got over the line in that game I thought okay this is a different England and then the Norway game yes didn't play brilliantly well but they had that grit and determination going in today's game I thought the first half I thought England were brilliant yes not in terms of creating a great deal but being up for the fight know exactly what the game needed.

14:23Patrick Vieira:They was trying to, you said before with Argentina, they was going to use mind games and tricks, trying to get into Jude's head. And then the second half, after we scored the goal, whether people want to blame the players or not in terms of the way they sat really deep, this one is on the manager. And I praise the manager so much in terms of him not caring what we say as pundits and being decisive in what he wants to do, making subs at the right time. Today, he got it wrong. And he has to accept that because like Al's completely right in what he's saying, there was too deep. As soon as we scored that goal, we had no outlet.

15:04Patrick Vieira:We're looking at Kane. We're looking for energy. Kane was absolutely knackered in the game. It was crying out for Ollie Watkins, someone who could run him behind, get us up the pitch. And Al, like you said, in terms of when they went to the five, And this is important, this. When you play a four at the back and you're playing four, three, three. But Gordon in the first half was doing so much work with Spence. The distances were perfect, absolutely perfect. When you go to then a five and you go flat five, then ahead of him, O 'Reilly was sort of playing midfield inside left position, but wasn't giving Spence a backup because they had an extra defender.

15:48Patrick Vieira:So what that allowed is Messi, he was scanning the game, his football IQ, absolute genius, came into the game and said, this is where the space is. No one's coming to get the ball, coming to tackle me when I get the ball. So then I'm just going to operate there and that's what happened.

16:05Gary Lineker:I also think, guys, is that what's happened in previous games, Mexico and Norway, in terms of him going five at the back, bringing Dan Byrne on, bringing the defenders on, and that working, I think that's gone against us today because I think he thinks that it's worked then, so I'm going to do it again. But, and it's a huge but, you've got like 30 or 35 minutes to hang on. And basically when you go into five at the back, that's what he basically said to Argentina, we're going to try and hang on here in the hope that you put balls into the box like Norway did, like Mexico did, and we're just going to clear it away for fun.

16:40Gary Lineker:They did it in those two games. They couldn't do it today because Argentina were too streetwise.

16:45Patrick Vieira:Yeah, but the difference was the quality.

16:48Gary Lineker:Yeah, yeah.

16:48Patrick Vieira:How big? Messi. We talked about moments. You asked me the other day, how do you stop Messi? It's actually at times impossible because when you're in the defensive line and you're working as a unit, you're going up and back together and he just stands out on the right wing. how God's earth do you cater for what he can do?

17:10Gary Lineker:I think we're all frustrated guys because I said during commentary is that Thomas Tuchel was brought in to get us through semi-finals and then win us finals because Gareth the great thing about what Gareth did is that he got us that far and we said okay well the next step is to go on and win it so Thomas was brought in for moments like this and moments in finals to win us this Yeah, it feels as if his substitutions that worked in every game, basically up until now, have cost us to do.

17:43Alan Shearer:Yeah, I think, Mike, you're really absolutely spot on with the fact that Messi works out where the space is. But I would say if you've got six defenders in the team, you can afford to put one of them on his toes and just stand with him wherever he is on the pitch. So it would still be difficult. but he had so much space just to cross it, to cross it, to cross it. Why didn't he do that?

18:10Patrick Vieira:Yeah, but the genius about Messi and Al wants to come in after me, but in terms of look at the Fernandes goal, what did he do? He drew players in towards him and then where is the space? So if you want to go man being man against him, it will make you look stupid. His touch and technique, so great. Okay, everyone's going to come towards Messi. So what does that mean? It leaves space in the middle of the pitch. And we talk about Messi. It's not just what he does. He thinks about the game. Where can I go to leave space for other players? And it was just perfect. He's phenomenal. He's unbelievable.

18:54Patrick Vieira:Watching him live as well. And everyone talks about him walking, walking, walking. It doesn't matter who's walking. He comes alive when the ball comes to his feet. Incredible.

19:04Alan Shearer:He is truly extraordinary. I mean, I've watched him for two decades. I've had people go, oh, you love him too much. I love him too much. Because he's given me so much joy. He gave me no joy tonight, obviously. We were on the receiving end. But it was interesting that after the game, Scaloni said the following. The opponent doubted themselves a bit. we smelt blood and went for it we all felt it and I think we all felt it watching I mean this is easy to say now but I guarantee you that you two you did it in the game Alan and Mike you watching we were all watching it on the tv in here and all of us were saying exactly the same thing we we're just basically giving we I'll take the I think the best example of this is when Argentina went ahead, they didn't just sit back and low block.

19:59Alan Shearer:Yes, obviously England pushed a bit more than they did, but they also pressed us high and they went and tried to play high up the pitch.

20:06Gary Lineker:There's a reason why they're the world champions. They might not be as good now as they were four years ago, but I think their heart's bigger and they understand what it means to them and how much it means to them. And there's been times in this tournament where we've all sat and watched them and thought, goodness me, they're under the cosh now. But somehow, because of their belief, and obviously how good they are, they found a way to win. I mean, go back to the Egypt game when they were under huge pressure. They came back from that. Tonight, they were under huge pressure. They came back. I thought the managers' substitutions were brilliant, bringing on De Paul, bringing on Lautaro Martinez when he got the goal.

20:50Gary Lineker:so there's no doubt their substitutes worked and ours didn't.

20:55Alan Shearer:I've got a couple of quotes that I want to read to you both from Thomas Tuchel. One of them is from when he first took the job and then there's one after the game. He said they were more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win. That's what he was talking about Southgate's England. After the game today he said we keep going on with the contract until the home Euros. I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead he sort of went against his own ethos in a way

21:29Gary Lineker:well he better get his tin hat on because he's going to get a lot of criticism isn't he I mean the criticism has already started because of and you have to accept that and he has to accept it that his his substitutions today in this game didn't work and it's backfired for England so he's going to get a lot of criticism for that and you're right that goes against what he sort of said in terms of England hanging on. And the frustrating thing is, is I would have got it if there was five or 10 minutes left totally. But there was like, I don't know, 30 or 35 minutes left that they had to hang on for.