England's Unfathomable Tactics Against Messi in World Cup Semi-Final

Gary Lineker branded England’s tactical approach to Lionel Messi and Argentina “unfathomable” after Thomas Tuchel’s side threw away a 1-0 lead and crashed out of the World Cup in Atlanta.

England were 15 minutes from a first World Cup final since 1966. Instead, they were picked apart by a familiar force. Messi, quiet for long spells, waited, watched, then ripped the game away with two moments of late precision as Argentina turned the semi-final on its head to win 2-1 and book a showdown with Spain on Sunday.

England retreat – and Argentina smell blood

Anthony Gordon’s goal had given England a platform. They had control, territory, and belief. Then they backed off.

Tuchel’s response to the lead was to reinforce the back line, introducing three defenders in the second half. The effect was immediate and alarming: England sank deeper, the gaps widened in front of them, and Argentina’s most dangerous player was handed the one thing he should never be given – time.

Argentina grew into the space. They rattled the woodwork twice, warnings that went unheeded. England continued to retreat, inviting wave after wave. The pressure finally told when Enzo Fernandez stepped onto a loose ball and drilled a fierce strike from 25 yards, dragging the champions level and shifting the entire mood of the night.

Still England sat off. Still Messi drifted free.

In stoppage time, the punishment arrived. Messi moved into that familiar pocket on the right, looked up, and delivered a trademark, inch-perfect cross. Lautaro Martinez met it, and England’s World Cup dream dissolved in an instant.

Lineker: “Just put someone on him”

For Gary Lineker, watching England allow Messi to orchestrate the finale from his preferred zone was inexplicable.

“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,” he said on The Rest Is Football, pointing directly at the decision to give Messi room to operate.

Lineker highlighted the Argentine’s growing statistical dominance on the biggest stage. “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.”

England did neither: they didn’t press high, and they didn’t suffocate the passing lanes. They simply dropped off and watched the inevitable unfold.

Tuchel under fire, but backed – for now

Tuchel is understood to retain the backing of the Football Association, his contract running through Euro 2028. On paper, there is stability. In reality, the manner of this defeat has ignited a fierce debate over his game management on the biggest night of his England tenure.

The substitutions, the shift to a deeper block, the failure to adjust once Argentina seized control – all of it has been pulled apart in the aftermath.

Micah Richards was blunt in his assessment of the England manager’s night.

“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 for Messi. In a World Cup semi-final, against the defending champions, that combination proved fatal.

Argentina march on to another final, powered again by their captain’s late artistry. England, left to pick over the wreckage of a lead surrendered and a strategy savaged, must decide whether this was a one-night aberration or a warning about the direction of Tuchel’s reign.