Gary Lineker Critiques England’s Tactics in World Cup Semi-Final Defeat
Gary Lineker has described England’s tactics against Lionel Messi and Argentina as “unfathomable,” following a 2-1 defeat in the World Cup semi-final where Thomas Tuchel’s squad surrendered a 1-0 lead.
England’s aspirations of lifting the World Cup were dashed in Atlanta, as Messi delivered two late assists to steer Argentina to victory.
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The defending champions displayed their resilience in the tournament as they advanced to the final against Spain scheduled for Sunday, although they benefited from England’s tactical switches after Anthony Gordon scored first.
Lionel Messi created Argentina’s two late goals as England were beaten in Atlanta (Getty)
Tuchel made three defensive substitutions in the second half, which allowed Argentina to seize control of the match. The South American side struck the woodwork twice before Enzo Fernandez equalized with a long-range shot, followed by Lautaro Martinez converting Messi’s precise cross in stoppage time.
Former England striker Lineker expressed confusion over tactics that seemed to favor Messi’s strengths.
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“I found it absolutely unfathomable that, if your tactic is to sit everyone deep, you do that against the greatest player ever to play football,” Lineker stated on The Rest Is Football regarding Messi.
“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, yeah, and you play a back five, and you still don’t go and 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.”
Tuchel is believed to still have the support of the Football Association (FA), as the England manager is contracted through Euro 2028.
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The defeat has drawn severe criticism, with Micah Richards suggesting that the coach had a poor performance.
“Today he got it wrong,” Richards remarked. “And he has to accept that. They were too deep. As soon as we scored that goal, we had no outlet.
“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 in behind, get us up the pitch. This one is on the manager.”