The chaos that has enveloped Mexico since their team triumphed over Ecuador on Tuesday night is palpable. This victory has set the stage for a World Cup last-16 encounter with England on Sunday, a match being heralded as one of the most significant in the nation’s footballing history. With a storm on the horizon, forecasts predict potential flooding that could impact the highly anticipated game.
FIFA was informed on Friday that the match’s kick-off would need to be moved from 6pm local time (1am Monday BST) to midday. However, after extensive discussions involving numerous stakeholders, the decision was ultimately made to keep the original time. This led to considerable effort expended for no change, and the clock ticks down for all involved.
Following the Ecuadorian victory, the atmosphere in Mexico City was electric. Streets surrounding El Ángel de la Independencia were packed, with no vehicles able to pass and estimates suggesting about a million fans celebrated together. The fervor and emotion of the city are set to reach new heights once more.
However, chaos also marks England’s recent performances, particularly in their last-32 match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday. Manager Thomas Tuchel sensed the turmoil right from the start of what could be classified as the opening quarter of the game. Reflecting on the need for patience, he had previously stated, “It can be a game of patience and we must not freak out,”
Unfortunately, England did just that. The initial segment of the match was riddled with anxiety, as players seemed to overexert themselves, driven by a desire to perform. At the hydration break, the DRC was leading 1-0, prompting a concerned Reece James to attempt to settle teammate Jude Bellingham.
Fueled by adrenaline, England created numerous chances and eventually secured a 2-1 victory, with Harry Kane netting two late goals. Yet, the apprehension lingers; if they begin the match with similar disarray at the Azteca Stadium, site of Maradona’s iconic Hand of God goal in 1986, their World Cup journey may come to an abrupt end.
Mexico is expected to unleash a whirlwind of intensity during the first 20 minutes of play, capitalizing on the altitude of 2,240 meters which can leave unacclimatized players gasping for breath. Raúl Jiménez, a Mexican striker, noted, “The first 20 minutes … the other players will be needing some breath, some air,”
Tuchel recognizes the impending storm and aims to instill a sense of calm and unity within his squad, ensuring their energy is effectively harnessed. “That’s when we can make the difference.” he remarked, emphasizing the need for better timing and coordination. “We are fully aware that it took us basically a whole quarter [against the DRC] to adapt in our press,”
He elaborated on the repercussions of their impatience.
“We are fully committed to the effort that we put in but it’s not economical. We don’t choose the moments great. And we go too early, when we’re not set. “We are impatient. And it has knock-on effects: the first one goes too early, the second one joins, no one says: ‘No, no, we don’t go.’ The third one just goes and wants to repair it and this leaves us disjointed, with too big distances. So we know, and we worked on it, that we need to pick our moments better; where to press, when to press. Then we need to be more in sync, we need to be more compact.”
Tuchel stressed the importance of selecting their moments wisely and being compact and synchronized.
England’s attacking play has also shown signs of nervousness, particularly in crucial moments. According to Opta, they missed more “We’re too fast in our attacks,” than any other team in the last 32, totaling 15, with six of those occurring against the DRC. France followed with 12 missed chances.
“It’s almost like every attack plays out like a fast attack. We need to understand that sometimes the door is closed, it doesn’t help if you rush into it. Try the other door. Find another way. And worship the ball possession. Also to recharge. Otherwise we just run our batteries down with a huge effort and not so much reward. Talking about the first 15-20 minutes, we also expect that it feels very, very hard. What other teams tell us who went in there late, without acclimatisation, is that the first 15-20 minutes are where you basically hit a wall. But when you go through it, it gets better. That’s exactly why Mexico starts their games like this. They just want to suffocate you.” Tuchel observed. “more afraid to drop out than have the excitement and hunger to win” He emphasized the need to value possession to recharge energy, warning, “It’s because we’re a bit rushed in everything we do,”
Tuchel acknowledged the challenges of acclimatization, mentioning, “We lack a bit of patience. I still think we create a lot of chances against teams who don’t concede. I know what you mean [about the lack of identity]. I think physicality-input is the identity of the Premier League and we will try to stay brave, play up front and put players into the last lines, play with wingers.” He noted that once they push through that phase, conditions improve, a tactic Mexico is known to exploit early in matches.
Upon accepting the England role, Tuchel made clear his intent to emulate the aggressive style characteristic of Premier League football, emphasizing bravery, overloads, and sharp combinations. He criticized Gareth Southgate’s squad for lacking identity during Euro 2024, stating they were “We haven’t abandoned at all,”
As the World Cup progresses, England’s identity under Tuchel remains somewhat unclear, often appearing frantic and confused. “We are working on it. We looked with a clear identity in our last warmup match against Costa Rica, but we lost a little bit the lightness and the rhythm. Maybe from tension and from the opponent. But we found it in glimpses. “We’re not over-relying. What does this mean? That Argentina over-rely on [Lionel] Messi? It’s just what it is. Everyone is doing their job to find these spaces for Harry and then Harry is doing what he does. Everyone is committed and involved when we score goals. So it seems like a one-man show but it is not a one-man show for anyone. We will get better once the playing field levels out, when we’re not this huge favourite and teams will come to beat us. This is where we will see our identity and quality coming out more.” he admitted. “We lack a bit of patience.” Yet he remains optimistic about their capacity to create goal-scoring opportunities despite facing resilient teams.
England landed in Mexico after their seventh flight in 12 days and now prepares for their fourth match in just over a week. This demanding schedule was anticipated to be a test of endurance. Tuchel insists he will continue pursuing his vision without leaning solely on Kane.
“We haven’t abandoned at all,” he asserted. “We are working on it. We looked with a clear identity in our last warm-up match against Costa Rica, but we lost a little bit of the lightness and rhythm. Maybe from tension and from the opponent. But we found it in glimpses.”
He continued, “We’re not over-relying. What does this mean? That Argentina over-rely on [Lionel] Messi? It’s just what it is. Everyone is doing their job to find these spaces for Harry, and then Harry is doing what he does.” Tuchel concluded that the team will showcase their true identity and strengths when they are no longer viewed as overwhelming favorites, stating, “This is where we will see our identity and quality coming out more.”
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