Cristian Romero has pointed the finger at Gary Neville for England's World Cup semi-final defeat, insisting the former Manchester United defender's pre-match comments inspired Argentina's comeback. The Tottenham centre-back revealed that Neville's remarks about him and Lisandro Martinez being the "best worst centre halves in the world" fired up the Argentine duo.
Romero Hits Back at Neville's Criticism
Speaking after Argentina's 2-1 victory, Romero told DSports: "Lisandro and me, we were on fire before the game because of what Gary Neville said. In England, they love to speak before. We send him a big hug. I hope I'll not be like him when I retire. I will not criticise the players. The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid."
Neville had predicted on The Overlap that England would score at least two goals, saying: "I don't see how we won't score at least two goals. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez seem to give away a goal between them in every match. Then you see them again and suddenly they're scoring goals, winning every header, and appearing everywhere. There's something that happens to them when they put on that shirt. It's incredible. I call them the best-worst centre-back pairing in the world because at times they are absolutely extraordinary, and the next instant they go from the sublime to the ridiculous."
England's Collapse Under Tuchel
While Romero blamed Neville, most England fans and pundits have directed their anger at head coach Thomas Tuchel. England took the lead through Anthony Gordon early in the second half, but a series of defensive substitutions allowed Argentina back into the game. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute with a long-range effort that some felt Jordan Pickford should have saved, before Lautaro Martinez headed home in stoppage time.
Wayne Rooney criticised Tuchel's approach, saying: "If you're an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up and you see the changes which the manager’s making, you’re losing belief, there’s only so many times you can get away with it. Then you start thinking, 'Oh, no we're going to sit back for this long, how are we going to get through this?'"
Former Blackburn and Celtic striker Chris Sutton branded Tuchel's changes a "coaching catastrophe," while Gary Lineker called the tactics "unfathomable." Lineker said: "I found it absolutely unfathomable that, if your tactic is to sit everyone deep, you do that against the greatest player ever to play football. I think he’s just cementing that game after game after game. Most goals in the World Cup, most assists in the World Cup. And he moves to the right, and you play a back five, and you still don’t go and get tight to him. Just put someone on him. He had so much space. He just whipped ball after ball after ball into the box."
Romero's Motivation and Argentina's Victory
Romero's revelation adds a personal twist to Argentina's triumph. The Tottenham defender was seen getting under the skin of England players during the match, and his post-match comments suggest Neville's words were a key motivator. Argentina will now advance to the World Cup final, while England face an inquest into their latest tournament disappointment.
