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Anderson was excellent throughout the whole tournament imo.
He is constantly on the move, always available for a pass and can intercept and tackle effectively. Thought he did a good job on marking Messi in the first half when he was playing centrally and before Messi moved out to the right wing.
Also thought he was constantly looking to pass forward. Don’t agree with those on here saying that he only passes sideways.
Think he will be outstanding for Man City next season. Previous Message
You can't retain the ball on your own. You need teammates to be available and moving for those passes. I thought Anderson did well in always moving, always being available. He was let down by the others in this regard. Previous Message
However you are spot on about our inability to retain the ball.
We lack the Busquets/Rodri/Pirlo type lynchpin in the team and it has been the issue in these recent semi and final defeats. We just look miles off it in this regard.
The only player who we have of that profile is Wharton, probably should have been in the squad. The fact Anderson is going for north of £100m is baffling to me when he is so limited at ball retention at the elite level. Previous Message
Football analysis, post game by ex-players, pundits and fans is all about the narrative. Last night as England scored first has focused on how they and especially Tuchel threw the game away with defensive subs.
But the stats say different.
The first half was an even non event, constant fouls and slow build up from both sides.
The second half started different, England's goal came from a quick break against the run of play. It was their first of only 2 shots on target all game. When they scored Argentina had had 4 and their XG was 2 (compared to England's 0.5).
The tide had already turned before England got their goal on the break. Whether they scored or not, the way Argentina have played in this world cup, scoring at least 2 or 3 goals was going to happen. They had already scored 8 late goals in the previous games.
The narrative was England sat in and the defensive subs made it inevitable. But the bigger problem England already had in the 2nd half was that the majority of the players are unable to hold onto the ball (Like Spain and to a lesser extent Argentina). They have quick fast athletes, but poor ball retainers (its always been thus).
England are incapable of keeping the ball against a top 10 team, always have been. The only way they could have scored a 2nd would have been on the break again, which requires sitting in. They are a moments team from big players and you cant rely on that tactically to win you games.
Really like Tuchel and his interviews are pretty honest. But the media and the country have set the narrative and he may well struggle to keep the job, he'll survive.
Made up for Pickford, don't think he'll pick up the golden glove but he's shown he is a great shot stopper. Not that the sly six agenda against him will stop.
Also for another time, but I think the tournament set up hurt England in the end. There was no gradual improvement in challenge that you should get in a cup competition. They basically played 6 group level games then a Semi against the world no.1. You don't learn and get the right competition experience like that. In every tournament as soon as England get a top 10 team they go out.
Stage Opponent FIFA Ranking
Group Stage Croatia 11th
Group Stage Ghana 73rd
Group Stage Panama 34th
Round of 32 DR Congo 46th
Round of 16 Mexico 14th
Quarter-final Norway 31st
Semi-final Argentina 1st
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on July 16, 2026, 1:22 pm, in reply to "