Patrick Vieira believes England's lack of identity was the root cause of their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, rather than just Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions. The Three Lions took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute but then retreated, inviting pressure before conceding two late goals.
England's defensive collapse
After Gordon's opener, England dropped deep, attempting to defend their lead. Argentina equalised through Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martinez scored the winner from a Lionel Messi cross in stoppage time. Vieira criticised England's approach, saying they are not suited to defending deep.
“England’s way of playing the game is on the front foot, you have to go to press, you have to play with intensity, first balls, second balls,” the World Cup winner said on The Rest Is Football. “England players are not set to defend inside the box, it is not Italy. The second goal they concede, you had the back five, big guys but they concede on crosses.”
Lack of identity compared to Spain and Argentina
Vieira argued that England lack a consistent playing style, unlike World Cup finalists Spain and Argentina. “The biggest question is, do you really think it’s the tactical side of the games? Yes it can impact the result, but there is as well the lack of identity of the England team,” he said. “They are not playing their own game. I don’t know if it’s a mentality because when you’re looking at Spain or Argentina, big nations that are used to winning. I was really impressed by how Spain played against France, they have this identity, they will play the same way winning, losing. When you look at England, they don’t have that.”
Tuchel's substitutions under fire
Tuchel's negative substitutions have been widely criticised, with Vieira noting they did not play to England's strengths. The Arsenal legend added that England's inability to defend crosses, even with a packed box, showed they lack the defensive organisation of nations like Italy. “The way they defend inside the box, if it was an Italian team, Lautaro would not be by himself. Their approach in the last 10 minutes, it doesn’t represent England,” Vieira said.
England's exit leaves them searching for answers, with Vieira suggesting a deeper issue beyond tactics. The Three Lions must now look ahead to future tournaments, needing to establish a clear identity to compete with the world's best.
