With Argentina beating England on Wednesday thanks in large part to an absolute tactical disasterclass from Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel, Liverpool midfielder Alex Mac Allister is heading to the World Cup final on Sunday where he and Argentina will face Spain.
With new Liverpool signing Victor Muñoz in the Spain squad, it guarantees the Reds will head into next season with one World Cup winner however things play out—though with Muñoz yet to play a minute, it’s Mac Allister who has been clearly
more key to his side’s success.
England were the clear better side on Wednesday for much of the first hour of the match, looking the far likelier side to be heading to the final right up until the moment they scored to make it 1-0 in the 55th minute and Tuchel responded by completely shutting up shop.
A highly defensive stance and substitutions that removed any counter threat saw England penned deep for more than a half hour and gave Lionel Messi and Argentina free reign on the edge of the England penalty area to press and probe. They scored in the 85th and 92nd minutes.
As American football coach and video game legend John Madden once said of the approach, All a prevent defence does is to prevent you from winning. It might not be the same flavour of football here, but it’s a sporting cliche that’s just as applicable to the world’s game.
On Sunday, Argentina will be underdogs to Spain, a pre-tournament favourite and vanquishers of a French side many felt were a lock to win the entire World Cup, but after the run they’ve had—and the late wins they’ve recorded—it would be foolish to count them out.
