Patrick Vieira feels England lack an identity and that cost them in defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals.
The Three Lions took the lead in Atlanta as Anthony Gordon scored the opener on 55 minutes and sent the English fans wild.
There was nothing much to celebrate over the rest of the game, though, as England retreated into their own penalty box and tried to park the bus to defend their lead.
Thomas Tuchel made extremely negative substitutions and invited Argentina to attack them, which they did with the best player in history and found their way through the English defences.
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Enzo Fernandez fired in an equaliser on 85 minutes and Lautaro Martinez nodded in the winner from a Lionel Messi cross in stoppage time.
Tuchel’s tactical moves have come in for heavy criticism, but Vieira feels it runs much deeper than the manager’s decisions in Atlanta.
The Frenchman believes the two World Cup finalists have clear identities and that means Spain and Argentina can continue to play the same way when they are leading, behind or level, which England cannot.
‘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,’the World Cup winner said on The Rest Is Football.
‘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.’
Vieira pointed out that England’s retreat in the final half hour did not play to their strengths, showing that they could not even defend their box properly when they filled it with players.
‘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,’ said the Arsenal legend.
‘England players are not set to defend inside the box, it is not Italy. The seconc goal they concede, you had the back five, big guys but they concede on crosses.
‘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.’