Former Newcastle United and Tottenham “Magic” Chris Waddle is not mincing words — he thinks England and Argentina will end up going to penalties.
“England vs Argentina will go to penalties, I understand (Thomas) Tuchel’s Norway reaction, (Lionel) Messi isn’t what he was and England can stop him, (Declan) Rice and (Elliot) Anderson must retain possession more, England need more from wingers, (Jude) Bellingham and Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) comparisons must stop, England can’t allow Argentina control, if
they score three we will lose,” Waddle told OLBG. “For me, England vs Argentina could go all the way, it could even go to dreaded penalties. It’s going to be a really tight game. You have to say that Argentina will definitely score. It’s going to be about who takes their chances on the night. I think there will be opportunities and I expect Argentina to dominate the ball again, much like Norway did.
“Bellingham and (Harry) Kane are in form, but we know Messi can score and Julian Alvarez is just starting to grow into the tournament now. He could be a secret weapon for them, so it’s going to be a really close match. I’m going to go for a draw and after that, anything could happen but it wouldn’t surprise me if it goes to the dreaded penalties. With penalties, it depends on who is on the pitch at the time. Listen, with Harry Kane we’ve seen him miss, we’ve seen him score many, but he has missed. We don’t know. Penalties are a lottery. Argentina could miss five out of five, we’ve seen Messi miss. It’s just down to luck on the day and I can see this game going to a penalty shootout.”
Waddle can understand why Tuchel was annoyed with this team in the win over Norway last weekend. While England pulled out the victory, there were issues in every area of the pitch.
“England’s win over Norway was a great result. Even though we know they are a dangerous team, I was surprised by Norway. I predicted before the tournament that they would reach the quarter-final or semi-final, as they score goals and create chances. However, watching the game, I saw how Martin Odegaard and Sander Berge ran the show for long periods. I think those two players had more possession than anybody else. We didn’t offer as much in the final third as expected and it was all very quiet. I can see where Tuchel’s frustration comes from,” Waddle said. “Ball retention is something we haven’t dominated in most of the games we’ve played. When you give the opposition the ball that often, you know that if they have any quality, they will create chances. Listen, we know the conditions are difficult, we always talk about them, but they are a factor.”
Waddle also thinks that the Three Lions need more production and better performances from Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka in the semifinal.
“I think whatever combination he plays on the wings, we need more from them. We are relying heavily on the two midfield lads doing the graft and breaking up play, and we are relying on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to deliver results. We definitely need more from the flanks,” Waddle stated. “I’ve said it all along but we need to do better with our wingers and full backs down the flanks against Argentina. I know we’ve had a problem at right back but we don’t seem to get the full backs in the final third crossing balls.
“We don’t get the wingers in the final third crossing balls either. You know, it’s all ‘get it, give it back, back inside to whoever, then back across to the other side, and back again.’ We need more from the wingers. You’re in the team because of what you do at your club, you commit full-backs, you take players on and you cross the ball. Whether it’s your left or right foot, you get a yard and put the ball in the box. If you put the ball in the box and Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham aren’t there, that’s not your problem.
“I just don’t think we’ve had enough success getting around the back of the full backs on the flanks, regardless of who we’re playing. That’s why we’ve been limited. I may be wrong, but we’ve probably converted 85–90% of the chances we’ve created. We don’t create a lot, so we need more from our full backs overlapping or our wingers taking their markers on. We definitely need more from the flanks.”
If Waddle is correct — and this goes to penalties — two nations will be walking (pacing?) on eggshells until a winner is determined. Won’t that be fun for neutrals?
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