In a state of paralysis, Anthony Gordon and Marc Guehi just stood and watched. England were down the tunnel, Djed Spence slowly staggering in the same direction, but they watched.
Watched the celebrations. Watched the Falklands flag come out. They conversed a little, pointing vaguely towards that end of the ground. Gordon had appeared inconsolable moments earlier. In the stands, Argentines with accreditation hanging around their necks shamefully grabbed their genitalia to goad England fans.
The scene was not pretty. The manner of losing was not pretty. The fallout was not pretty.
Guehi had been asked on the eve of England’s World Cup semi-final defeat what the squad could take from going so close at the European Championship two years ago. He shrugged, claiming it was different circumstances and a different team.
And yet. The same old, the same way of heading for departures. The spine is remarkably similar to 2024 and going through travails and heartache is supposed to battle harden those to have gone through it. The way in which they looked beaten as soon as Enzo Fernandez equalised begs the question of whether England are actually learning and can actually take that final leap towards history.
Thomas Tuchel was the man brought in to steer this generation of players to the silverware many believe is their calling. Tuchel has his deficiencies, laid bare as they retreated late on and time will tell as to whether the tete-a-tete with Jude Bellingham has lasting consequences.
Anthony Gordon was inconsolable after England’s defeat by Argentina in the World Cup
Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez delivers the killer blow to England’s World Cup hopes
But this is more than just Tuchel. This is an England that has been eliminated from the biggest stage every time they have met a top-10 nation since Argentina last did them 28 years ago. Seven defeats from seven.
Tuchel animatedly backed the mentality of his squad after Norway and he was right to do so, although you left Atlanta wondering where that had gone when the crunch actually arrived.
‘They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win it,’ was Tuchel’s verdict on Euro 2024 during his first months in the job. He could easily be delivering that assessment on what happened here in Georgia.
How this all looks moving forward, into a tournament hosted by three continents in four years’ time, is anybody’s guess as England board their plane for the meaningless third-place match with the French in Miami on Saturday.
‘It’s a similar story to what’s happened in previous tournaments,’ Harry Kane offered. ‘I feel like we struggled to keep the momentum of the game.’
Nail hitting head but Kane – 33 in a fortnight – might not be there to see any potential improvement in 2030. The FA’s search for the next great No 9 doesn’t bear thinking about in the immediate aftermath of this, a life after Kane, because there is not a plethora of those coming through.
More pressing, looking ahead to the home Euros, is the middle of midfield. That is where England surrendered their advantage with Argentina. No foot on the ball, no love for it. No Rodri, basically. In fact, dare we say, no Enzo Fernandez.
Tuchel’s ultimately foolhardy decision to deploy five at the back so early in the second half came as a result of a turning tide and nobody in white controlling a game that begged for a clear, boring head.
Elliot Anderson had another impressive game in the face of some roughouse Argentine tactics – but did he bring the control England needed?
Thomas Tuchel was unable to stop the forward momentum of Argentina
One to pass and receive. To receive and pass. Over and over. To make Alexis Mac Allister and Fernandez do some unwanted running.
In the 17 minutes between Anthony Gordon scoring and Tuchel bringing on Ezri Konsa for the Barcelona winger, England had only 17 per cent of the possession. That number dipped further when the change was made, the formation switched, but the trend must have felt irreversible.
In that time, Elliot Anderson – who generally had another impressive game, especially in the face of traditionally Argentine tactics – didn’t touch the ball once. The influence of Declan Rice in that spell was negligible, too.
For all his other qualities, Rice is not the man who can dictate tempo. Never has been and eventually morphed into a midfielder England perhaps were not expecting. So the hardest craft in this business, the metronome role, is left to Anderson – somebody who was a creative type in Newcastle United’s academy and even operated on the left wing during a formative loan at Bristol Rovers.
The FA had been scratching their heads as to who was actually going to grasp that role for years and sources indicated that it was proving a real headache.
It was Under-21 boss Lee Carsley who spotted the potential to perform as a sitter in Anderson. He led the charge to make sure Anderson didn’t pledge allegiance to Scotland and then moulded him into this progressive No 6 when they defended their European title in Slovakia this time last year.
The influence of Declan Rice in the spell after Gordon’s goal was negligible. For all his other qualities, Rice is not the man who can dictate tempo
Carsley’s teams always have gumption and that was never truer than with Anderson pivoting. The 23-year-old can do it at this level – and will do it at this level eventually. Be the man from which everything flows throughout tournaments.
In that sense, the best thing that could have happened for England is a £116million move to Manchester City. That is likely two full seasons in the Champions League. Pitting his wits against the best of the best, as he was having to do alone on Wednesday. England might say there is nothing to learn from the past but somebody with Anderson’s IQ will lean into it.
Maybe that is why England were so accommodating in allowing Anderson to complete the switch from Nottingham Forest at the end of the group stage. It is best for the country’s long-term prospects that City didn’t change their minds about that price tag.
