aintforever

What punishment did Bielsa receive from the FA? Assuming the FA's rules were the same back then, if so he committed exactly the same offence and that would set a clear precedent.

I thought they just said there was no evidence to suggest it was at that stage, or words to that effect. That obviously changes when they find evidence to the contrary and then they call in the anti-terrorism lot. Seems like standard procedure to me.

The difference in the mentality of the players was obvious, take away that fear of failure and they look a different team. Plus a bit of pace upfront helps.

He’s got a point though, we always fuck it up. You go back to 1990 and Stuart Pearce wellying his penalty straight at the keeper, then there’s Beckham losing his shit and getting sent off, Rooney stamping on someone’s bollocks, there’s countless penalty fuck ups which is due to lack of technical ability/mindset. We have not even reached a World Cup final in my life-time and in our entire history won nothing without home advantage. Tuchel should take some blame for his subs but the England players just shat the bed and stopped playing as soon as they took the lead.

Agree with all this. Tuchel has to take his share of the blame but in my opinion the main reason we lost was because the players just bottled it.

I agree. A top side could have gone 5 at the back and still kept Messi quiet. The players went a goal up and just shat the bed.

We went too passive before he made the subs. I didn't agree with taking Gordon off for a defender, I would have stuck Saka on and tried to hit them on the break but fact is, a top side would have seen the game out.

I don't agree with his subs but a top team would have seen the game out.

Classic English response, blame the manager. If it's not the manager it's because the Premier League play too many games, or we are not teaching the kids right etc etc. There always has to be an excuse, it can't possibly be that we are just not good enough at football.

Depends what you rate as good.

Good teams don’t do that.

Just not as good as Argentina or the other top sides - Norway is the only decent side we have beat. Face it, the record doesn’t lie, England are just not a top footballing nation.

England are just not very good at football, whoever is manager is not going to change that.

Just showed lack of belief, a good side would have kept it the same and looked to nick a second.

Classic England, went one nil up then shit their pants.