The World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina has left many in the football world questioning England's tactics, and former Manchester United and England star Paul Scholes is no exception. Scholes has slammed Harry Kane for dropping into midfield during the match, a decision that he believes was a mistake.
Kane's tendency to drop deep and dictate play has been a hallmark of his game, but Scholes thinks that it may have been the wrong choice on this occasion. "I'd hate that," Scholes said. "I want my centre-forward to play centre-forward. I think it's also a leadership thing from midfield." Scholes believes that Kane's midfield forays would have been a source of frustration for the team's midfielders, and that they should have been urging him to stay up front.
Kane himself has addressed the issues in the England squad, saying that they were close to another final but ultimately fell short. "We've given everything over these last seven weeks and to fall short is hard to take," he said. "I know the expectations are high and rightly so, we've been knocking on the door for eight years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw! That's where we have to go away, process it and find a way to get better."
England manager Thomas Tuchel is also under fire for his tactics, with many questioning his decision to go defensive with so much time left against Argentina. Tuchel has defended his tactics, but it seems that he may have gotten it badly wrong. Former England coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes that Gareth Southgate would not have made the same decisions, and that he would have stuck with a four-man defense and made changes to the wide players to maintain energy and pressuring power.
