MICHAEL OWEN has claimed England beating Mexico set up their eventual downfall against Argentina.
The Three Lions showed off a superb back-to-the-wall rear-guard action against at the Azteca Stadium in the last 16 after going down to ten men.
Michael Owen has said that beating Mexico was England’s downfall at the World Cup Credit: Alamy
Owen believes the win over Mexico was the wrong blueprint to reach the World Cup final Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
But Owen believes that bringing the same ideas into the semi-final against , where took the lead before falling to two late strikes, was the ultimate Achilles’ heel for ‘s side.
Writing in his Daily Mail column , the former England star said: “Mexico was the worst thing that could have happened for England. It was not the blueprint for winning a World Cup, it was the blueprint for losing one.
“I warned in the hours after the 3-2 win at the Azteca of a dangerous overreaction among former players and supporters. There was a complete misunderstanding of what bravery in is really about.
“It was being labelled as our greatest-ever performance – and I was called miserable by some for pointing out that it absolutely was not.
Sadly, it tricked everyone – even the players themselves – into believing that if you drop back and defend a lead you’ll be lauded as last-action heroes. That’s nonsense.
“You defend a lead by keeping the ball, by scoring a second, by puffing your chests out as a team and saying, ‘We’ve been better than you for an hour, now we’ll be better than you for another half an hour’.
“Instead, what we saw against Argentina was sadly inevitable. England were petrified of losing. Absolutely terrified. We can talk about technical failures, but this is about mindset. I know, I have lived it.
“I scored against in a World Cup quarter-final and we did exactly the same. Brazil then went down to 10 men and we couldn’t lay a glove on them.
“This is what happens, once you retreat and revert into that negative mindset, it’s irreversible. You have beaten yourselves.”
Owen, 46, had slammed Tuchel for his “negative” tactics in the immediate aftermath of the defeat after he brought on three defenders before introducing any attackers.
The German manager had argued he made those subs because the team on the pitch had lost control of the game and were no longer capable of keeping the ball.
Stats from the game after ‘s opener spoke for themselves, with England having just 12 per cent of the ball after going ahead – a shocking amount for supposedly one of the best teams in the tournament.
Knockout specialist Tuchel was brought in to specifically be a bulwark against such retreats, but ultimately was caught up in it too as Owen points out in his column.
And Owen, who scored 40 goals in 89 England games, has also declared England must “confront what football courage means in this country“.
He said: “We have the players. We’ve always had the players. Look at the first hour against Argentina. You can’t tell me we didn’t keep the ball just as well if not better than them. The problems came when we scored. The problem was Mexico.
“If we really wanted to follow an example of how to win a World Cup semi-final, it was 24 hours earlier. That’s bravery.
England had their most memorable game of the World Cup against Mexico Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
But Owen used Spain as an example of bravery as he declared how England must confront what courage means Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
“They were playing against the best collection of attacking players at the tournament in . Did they retreat? Did they suddenly decide possession didn’t matter anymore? No.
“They kept playing. They kept passing. They kept asking questions. That is what the best teams do. They made it about them, not France.
“Spain are playing in a World Cup final because of that, and the biggest frustration is that they should be playing us.
“So where do we go from here? I actually think England may need to suffer before they improve.”
Owen warned England may “have to suffer” before results are realised, and cited Liverpool under as an example by explaining how the Three Lions should “keep playing” even if that means losing on occasion.
He added: “But if that’s the price of learning how to dominate games instead of surviving them, I’d happily pay it.
“What we’ve been doing clearly isn’t working. 2018. 2021. Argentina 2026.
“All these huge games and huge opportunities gone to waste because of a mental fragility and misplaced belief that you defend what you’ve got.
“I cannot stress enough how damaging the euphoria post Mexico really was.”
While Owen has been critical of Tuchel and expressed his belief the national team manager should be an Englishman, he agrees with the German’s point that there is an issue in the national teams “DNA” that prevents them from reaching their full potential.
The ex-Liverpool and star concluded: “I don’t think we’ve got an issue in terms of how good our footballers are. I’m convinced this is not a technical problem.
“They just need help in reprogramming their mentality in those key moments where matches and tournaments turn.
“For that, I think a fresh start is needed. If this really is an English problem – and one we are finally prepared to confront instead of dressing up as heroic failure – then it needs an English manager.
“It needs someone who understands the scars of the past. Until we stop confusing survival with bravery, nothing will change.
“We will keep scoring first, keep retreating, keep celebrating guts instead of control, and keep wondering why the biggest prizes slip away.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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