The assessment of England’s departure from the World Cup was nearing its conclusion when Thomas Tuchel provided a significant perspective on Argentina’s ability to orchestrate late comebacks during the tournament.
“In their culture, ball possession plays a crucial role. It starts from a young age,” he remarked. “That is in the DNA and it demands a lot of self-confidence – natural self‑confidence to always want the ball, to always be in the gaps, to always define yourself through the ball. I think that is a crucial thing: to show courage.”
This commentary was not intended as criticism of his own squad. However, following yet another instance of England relinquishing a lead—a trend that can be traced back to the 2002 World Cup in Japan, when Michael Owen netted early against Brazil only for the team to falter defensively—Tuchel’s message resonated strongly.
Despite the Football Association’s ongoing initiatives to cultivate players capable of “intelligently dominate possession” as highlighted in the launch of its “England teams sense changing moments in the game both in and out of possession, reacting instinctively and intelligently,” at St George’s Park in December 2014, the nation continues to face a shortage of elite central midfielders equipped with the necessary technical prowess to succeed at the World Cup semi-final level.
Tuchel’s verdict on the tournament will echo through the statistic that England possessed the ball for merely 12% of the time between Anthony Gordon’s opening goal in the 55th minute and Lautaro Martínez’s decisive strike in stoppage time. Equally alarming is the revelation that out of 39 attempted passes during this period, 12 originated from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with only five occurring in Argentina’s half.
This data underscores a broader issue: England struggled to escape pressure when Argentina pressed high, frequently returning possession to their opponents.
“building the long-term systems that underpin the FA’s performance ambitions” states the DNA philosophy created by Dan Ashworth, who was the FA’s director of elite development in 2014. After a challenging stint as Manchester United’s sporting director, Ashworth returned to St George’s Park last May.
His new role as chief football officer involves overseeing the revitalization of the National Football Centre and developing long-term systems to support the FA’s performance goals. Essentially, the objective is to cultivate a style of play that is fearless, particularly during critical moments.
“We felt them going backwards and backwards rather than going forward,” commented Emiliano Martínez, the goalkeeper for Argentina. “Sometimes when you are winning, you have to go forward anyway. You can’t change the gameplan.”
While the academy system in England has garnered admiration globally due to the extensive resources available to Premier League clubs, it remains challenged in producing technically adept players capable of controlling matches from midfield. However, there are encouraging signs of potential change.
Elliot Anderson has emerged as a key player for England in the past year, and Manchester City’s £116 million summer acquisition is leading a new wave of midfield talent that appears ready to compete at the European Championship two years from now on home turf.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans remain puzzled by Kobbie Mainoo’s limited playing time, especially considering his pivotal role in the team’s resurgence under Michael Carrick last season. Mainoo’s selection, alongside Jordan Henderson as backups to Anderson and Declan Rice, resulted in the exclusion of Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly from the squad.
One could argue that Scott and Lewis-Skelly were among the most in-form midfielders in the country during the final month of the Premier League season. Scott, who formed a successful partnership with Anderson at last summer’s European Under-21 Championship, excelled in Bournemouth’s triumph over Arsenal and their draw against Manchester City, which ultimately determined the title outcome.
Although Lewis-Skelly’s chances of World Cup selection appeared slim after losing his spot as England’s first-choice left-back, his transformation into a dynamic midfielder—who kept Spain’s Martín Zubimendi out of the Arsenal lineup during the title run-in and shone against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final—could have provided the very qualities Tuchel described: a “natural self‑confidence to always want the ball”
Both players seem poised to play significant roles for England, though it will be interesting to see if Mainoo or Adam Wharton also figures prominently.
Like Anderson, Scott, and Angel Gomes—who received an unexpected call-up by Lee Carsley in 2024—Wharton transitioned from a No 10 role to a deeper position. Although Tuchel may not fully trust the Crystal Palace midfielder, Wharton possesses the passing range and talent to unlock defenses, coupled with an unteachable confidence on the ball.
As Ashworth and his team engage in another round of introspection, the solutions to England’s challenges may already be emerging.
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