Iker Casillas did not appreciate the approach England took against Argentina in their FIFA World Cup semi-final tie.
After going up 1-0 courtesy of Anthony Gordon’s goal, England manager Thomas Tuchel asked the team to fall back and defend the lead.
Such a negative strategy was bound to hurt them, and it did, as Argentina clawed their way back into the game, going 2-1 up to reach the FIFA World Cup final.
Iker Casillas says England lost to Argentina ‘all by themselves’
Taking to X during the game, former FIFA World Cup winner Iker Casillas lambasted England for their negative and defensive approach against Argentina.
Casillas then said that England lost the game because they took a negative approach to their lead, before looking forward to the ‘incredible’ final between Spain and Argentina.
“England scored the goal and then sat back. Cowardly approach. They haven’t left their own box and have allowed Argentina to come forward more. The logical outcome happens.”
“England have lost the match all by themselves with their approach. They let Argentina do whatever they wanted the whole time for 30 minutes. It can’t be. The final is Spain vs. Argentina. It’ll be incredible!”
Casillas echoed the point many have made in the aftermath of the game about how England made a mistake trying to absorb the pressure against Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel must learn his lesson from this devastating loss
For many fans, the appointment of Tuchel in the aftermath of Gareth Southgate’s exit was going to help England adopt a more offensive approach on the international stage.
However, yesterday’s performance mirrored England’s semi-final heartbreak against Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they went up 1-0 and went on the back foot, only to lose 2-1.
After that game, Southgate didn’t amend his approach at subsequent tournaments, with a similar result occurring at the 2020 Euros against Italy.
Tuchel has a chance to not repeat Southgate’s mistake and make sure that he doesn’t repeat this approach when he and England find themselves in a similar position in future tournaments.
This approach is nothing new for Tuchel, who managed to lead Chelsea to a Champions League win in 2021 against the far more ball-dominant Manchester City.
But this performance should show the German manager that he can no longer take this approach with this English side, as they have the talent to play on the front foot even when they’re up.
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