England's World Cup dream is shattered, thanks to a brutal 2-1 defeat against Argentina in the semifinals last night. And Michael Owen? He is absolutely tearing into Thomas Tuchel's tactics, laying bare exactly why the Three Lions crumbled after going up 1-0. This wasn't just a loss, it was a tactical meltdown, according to Owen.
Owen's Fury Over Defensive Tactics
Owen didn't pull any punches, man. He slammed Tuchel for taking his foot right off the gas pedal late in the match, a move that felt all too familiar after Argentina pulled a similar comeback against Egypt in the Round of 16. England grabbed that 1-0 lead early in the second half, with Anthony Gordon netting one off Morgan Rogers' absolutely sumptuous cross. But then, true to form, Lionel Messi found the back of the net *twice* with late goals, snatching victory right from under England's nose. "Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That's courage. That's bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What's the difference?" Owen posted on X, clearly fuming. He continued, "We are a better team than Argentina, I've no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1." His biggest beef? "Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send? Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards, then this will always be the end result." He even said he wrote about this specific issue in his Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. It sounds like he's been seeing this coming!Kane's Devastation and the 'Normal Mentality'
Harry Kane, looking absolutely gutted, owned up to what went wrong in his post-match interview. He admitted England lost total control after taking the lead around the hour mark. They stopped pressing. They surrendered possession. And that just let Argentina build all the momentum they needed to start creating serious danger in England's defensive third. Kane described trying to protect that narrow lead as "a normal mentality" at the time. "We scored and deserved to be ahead. Then, for one reason or another, we struggled to keep the ball, struggled to press, and simply allowed them to build momentum and create more danger in our defensive third," he said. The captain’s anguish was palpable, saying, "When you're that close, just over 10 minutes away, and it slips away from you like that… of course it hurts. We're devastated." It's another semifinal heartbreak, with Kane noting, "We always talk about knocking on the door. We're close. We just need to find that missing piece in the final stages of tournaments." The pain is real, you can feel it. So, what's next for England? They're not going home just yet. They've got one more game, a battle for third place against France on Saturday. It's happening at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. No, it's not the final, but you know they'll want to leave everything on the field, trying to find that "missing piece" and finish strong.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.