Sports journalist Paul Coyte writes that England didn't lack heart last night but they lost leadership from the touchline
We can wonder why the taker missed the goal or didn’t put it in the corner.
However, ultimately, we ended up being proud of what we saw and how unlucky we were.
Why, after Thomas Tuchel told his players to be brave, he was the one that wasn’t.
Why he made the substitutions he did, why he gave Lionel Messi the freedom of Atlanta for the last half hour and why we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
It was almost a new way of losing for us but closer to Gareth Southgate’s failed decision to 'shut up shop’ against Italy in the 2020 Euros Final.
Tuchel had said that team was “more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win”.
The players cannot be faulted for their commitment, but in my opinion, it was ultimately another flawed England World Cup campaign, with the high points being a flurry against Croatia and a strong defensive display in Mexico.
I meet so many people everyday from football aficionados to those who have never watched an entire match but still everyone asked the question why.
Maybe Tuchel has the answer, or is he now asking the same? Back to the drawing board.
