Gary Lineker Critiques England's Tactics Against Messi in Semi-Final Collapse
England led, Lionel Messi lurked, and Thomas Tuchel blinked.
From a position of control in Atlanta, 1-0 up in a World Cup semi-final and 20 minutes from a date with Spain, England retreated, reshaped and ultimately unravelled as Argentina and their captain did what they have done so often on this stage: they found a way.
By the end, it was 2-1 to the holders. Two late Messi assists. One furious inquest.
A lead, then a retreat
Anthony Gordon’s opener had tilted the night in England’s favour and briefly silenced a partisan crowd. Tuchel’s side were compact, sharp in transition, and looked capable of managing the occasion.
Then came the shift.
Tuchel turned to his bench and loaded his back line, sending on three defenders in the second half. The message was clear: protect what we have. The effect was just as clear, but in the opposite direction. England sank deeper, their counter-attacking threat vanished, and Argentina – jolted by the jeopardy of a looming exit – swarmed forward.
The woodwork saved England twice as Argentina cranked up the pressure. It felt like a warning. It turned out to be a prelude.
Enzo Fernandez finally pierced the resistance, thundering a 25-yard strike beyond a stranded defence to level the tie. From that moment, there was only one conductor on the pitch.
Space for the greatest
Messi drifted right, as he so often does, searching for pockets of grass and moments of hesitation. To Gary Lineker, watching on, England’s response to that movement defied logic.
“I found it absolutely unfathomable that, if your tactic is to sit everyone deep, you do that against the greatest player ever to play football,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football.
He did not stop there.
“I think he’s just cementing that game after game after game. Most goals in the World Cup, most assists in the World Cup. And he moves to the right, yeah, and you play a back five, and you still don’t go and get tight to him.
“Just put someone on him. He had so much space. He just whipped ball after ball after ball into the box.”
The criticism cut to the heart of England’s collapse. If you invite pressure, you must at least suffocate the source. Instead, Messi was allowed to dictate from wide areas, picking his moments, picking his passes.
The punishment arrived in stoppage time. Another precise cross, another decisive touch, this time from Lautaro Martinez, and Argentina were heading back to a World Cup final.
Tuchel under fire
Tuchel, contracted through Euro 2028 and understood to retain the backing of the Football Association, now finds himself at the centre of a tactical storm.
This was not a narrow defeat to a superior side playing irresistible football. It was a match that England led, controlled for long spells, and then handed over as they retreated into themselves and into their own penalty area.
Micah Richards, speaking in the aftermath, did not sugar-coat his assessment.
“Today he got it wrong,” Richards said. “And he has to accept that. They were too deep. As soon as we scored that goal, we had no outlet.”
No outlet, no pressure on the ball, and no plan to suffocate Messi when it mattered most. The defending champions did what defending champions do: they stayed alive long enough for their greatest player to decide it.
Spain await Argentina in Sunday’s final. England, left to pick over a semi-final that slipped through their fingers, must decide whether this was a one-off miscalculation or a warning about the man entrusted with their future.
