Report by Paz Hasdai, messenger of Walla!
Sports for Qatar, after Iran's victory over Wales (photo: Paz Hasdai, video editing: Assaf Drori)
The wonderful 2:6 over Iran raised the bar of expectations from the England team.
In the opening round, Gareth Southgate's team looked like one of the leading candidates to go all the way, but tonight (Friday) the Three Lions came back down to earth, with a disappointing 0:0 against the United States, which led to boos from the English fans.
The Americans were superior for most of the minutes of the game, and now everything is open in the second house.
The United States will have to win the giant Iran battle to qualify for the round of 16, while England will face Wales, with a draw being enough for them to advance.
Needless to say, the British media did not like Southgate's ability, nor his game management.
"It's a frustrating performance," said Rob Green, the former national team goalkeeper.
"England was not able to cause any mistakes for the United States, they simply were not able to take control of the game."
Rob Dorsett on "Sky" was more emphatic: "England were very, very bad. They were too passive, and we didn't see the same intensity that was shown against Iran. The United States took England out of their rhythm and their flow. This draw is not a disaster, but it will take ability Much better against Wales."
Gary Lineker added: "A very bad performance, but it happens in the group stage. The big question is whether the coach is able to change things for the better when things don't work, with his tactics and substitutions."
The commentators also didn't like Southgate's decision to leave Phil Foden on the bench, perhaps the most creative player in the squad, who didn't even come on as a substitute.
"I'm shocked we shared 14 players, but our most talented player is still on the bench," tweeted a frustrated Michael Owen.
"I was disappointed not to see Foden," added Gary Neville.
"We looked tired and their midfield was much better. Southgate has a lot of experience and he will know what needs to be done, I have huge respect for him, but the performance was bad, we are all disappointed and we all expected more. Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold should have played, a player like him certainly It was developed in Brazil and France."
Roy Keane said similar things: "We were all surprised that Puden didn't come in. Southgate knows better than anyone, but we all thought the same. None of the substitutes made an impact and England looked out of rhythm, without ideas, even in free kicks. Poor performance."
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The responses
Gareth Southgate concluded by saying: "This is exactly the game I thought it would be - a difficult encounter against a strong and athletic opponent. We knew it would be difficult for us to repeat the performance against Iran. I am very satisfied with how the players performed. Our ability in the third third could have been better, but We were excellent in defense. We controlled the game well and just couldn't open it with good chances. This point put us in a very good position to qualify, if we win the last game we will finish first and the goal was to go up. Against Wales it will be a completely different game."
When asked why he didn't include Foden, the English coach said: "We wanted to keep the formation the same. In the end, with the wing players, we preferred Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford, we thought that Jack could keep the ball well and Marcus' speed would be a threat."
Harry Maguire, from the few bright spots of the English: "We weren't at our best, but in the end we got a point and we're in a good position at home. We could have won at the end, but we should have been a little more accurate. We'll take the positives. World Cup games are never easy, countries The alliance is a good opponent, it pressured us."
Harry Kane added: "It wasn't our best performance, that's for sure, but we kept a clean sheet and we're in a great starting position. We should have been more accurate, it was the complete opposite of the game against Iran. The United States pressed well and made it difficult for us, a draw is not A bad result and we will prepare for the next game. After the first game, everyone thought it would be easy for us, but that is not the case."
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the numbers
* England has yet to beat the United States in the World Cup - it was their third attempt (loss and two draws).
Only against Brazil she has more games without winning (four).
* The United States kept a clean sheet against a European opponent for the first time since 1950 - even then the opponent was England (0:1).
* However, the Americans are winless against European opposition in their last 11 attempts.
* This is the fifth canceled draw in the World Cup, in his first 20 games.
This happened only once in the World Cup - in Germany 1974.
* This is the first 0:0 for the United States in the World Cup (in 34 games).
* England, on the other hand, is the queen of the 0:0 of the World Cups, with 12 of them (Brazil is second with 9).
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