r/ThreeLions

Zero minutes played

1 Yellow Card

1 Injury

1 FUCKING WIN

There's a few contenders for the Golden Boot this year, Mbappe, Haaland and Messi all sit on 7, Kane sits on 6. While not out the race, Oyarzabal and Dembele have 4 each, while Ronaldo sits at 3.

However, despite this, in last nights match, Kane didn't linger in the striker position, like we've seen Haaland, Messi and Ronaldo in particular do. He mixed in with the team, he crossed and passed to teammates, he didn't encourage other teammates to seek him out when they had better opportunities to shoot. His only shot was the penalty, and more than ever we can see why he's captain. He's not seeking personal achievement or validation, he's looking to perform as part of a team and get the win.

So I just wanted to appreciate this, that despite his name being in the race, despite having such an amazing season for Bayern, he still is focussed on the team first. If he were to be subbed off at a pivotal point, he wouldn't throw a tantrum, he'd follow the plan and get off the pitch, that's a leader, that's our hero, that's the next statue I want to be built outside Wembley.

This was not a perfect England performance, but it was a proper tournament win.

Mexico had the crowd, the altitude, the momentum and then the extra man after Quansah’s red card. That is normally the exact sort of game where England start to panic, drop too deep and invite wave after wave of pressure.

This time, we actually adapted.

Tuchel did not try to pretend the game was still normal. England became more compact, protected the middle, defended the box properly and still carried enough threat to win the penalty that made it 3-1. It was not pretty by the end, but it was organised chaos rather than blind panic.

That is the difference for me.

Southgate deserves credit for changing the culture around England, but I think this game under him probably becomes much more passive. We score, sit off, lose control, and I could easily see it ending 2-2 and going to extra-time or penalties.

With Tuchel, there just seems to be more in-game problem solving. The shape changes. The tempo changes. The players look like they know what the plan is when things go wrong.

For years England have had the players. Against Mexico, it felt like we had the manager too.

I’d like to humbly apologise to Dan Burn for my insistent belief that his selection was appalling. That was a hell of a performance from the big man.

With all due respect to Southgate, he's one of the greatest England national team managers. But I don't see him bailing out a 10 man team against a super in form Mexico side, playing at home over 2,000 meters above sea level, where they're fully adapted while England aren't.

Tuchel's tactical masterclass was undeniable today. In the last 30 minutes, Mexico couldn't produce a single clear goalscoring chance despite having a man advantage.His substitutions were excellent, his defensive system worked like a charm after the red card, and I've never seen an England team play with this much passion, fighting until their very last breath. It's evident that Tuchel has improved both the team's mentality and its tactical approach.

As an Argentina fan, I'm impressed. I can't wait to meet England in the semis.

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No words, I've never experienced more euphoria, emotion, anger, excitement watching football.

I know some of you might think it was well deserved, the fact that some fans disturbed the hotel you guys were staying at was indeed kinds of trash move but be real, nothing that the prem hasn't seen before.

I'm sure even some of you think it was a fluke. Not saying it wasn't deserved. Bellinham played the game of his life. But damn. Good luck on the next round, Haaland's a monster.

What altitude?

You were fucking epic