Text Size Adjuster: 18px 16 Jul 2026 00:24:01 In order to view all of today's banter, you may have to visit our Liverpool banter 2 to Liverpool banter 10 pages linked at the bottom of this page.
15 Jul 2026 23:09:13
I have to say fair play to Messi, 39, and still by a mile the best player in the world, absolute joke he is, and simply a joy to watch. He's proving science and what's possible wrong over and over.
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{Ed025's Note - its a pity he is an odious little irk really Nath..
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16 Jul 2026 00:04:57 Obviously a legend of the game, but I wouldn't say he's still the best in the world. The standard of international football is poor and he plays in a sub-standard league.
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16 Jul 2026 00:17:11 Far from best in the world.
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16 Jul 2026 00:19:07 West, a 39-year-old gave a reality check to what fans consider modern "superstars". Today's "world class" wouldn't be a touch on what peak Ronaldo and Messi were. Messi had moments in this match, and they were of the highest quality in a vital match. What does it matter what league he plays in when he can put in that performance? Don't be sour grapes against the goat.
15 Jul 2026 22:37:34
I understand the dissapoinment.
I don't understand the anti Tuchel brigade now. We're a not a ball playing team. We're not blessed with technical silky players through out the team.
England are a physical and at times explosive side.
Messi is 39 and look at some of his moment's tonight. The highest of quality, it is what it is. I was never overly confident.
Jed Spence was outstanding tonight and not one of us would ever had had him on the pitch.
Kane was asked and explained the team sat back, they wernt asked too.
Tuchel made decisions probably based on Argentina getting a real grip on the game. It didn't work.
Would Rashford and Toney really have changed much? We're not blessed with great attacking players from the bench.
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15 Jul 2026 22:51:19
Tuchel threw in the towel. Not often I would agree with Rooney but Tuchel's tactic cost us dearly tonight.
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{Ed025's Note - not only Tuchel though MOT, the players need to look at themselves in the mirror mate..
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15 Jul 2026 22:54:51
So, if you have a physical and explosive side, you should play 10 men in your own box with no outball?
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{Ed025's Note - disgraceful SR, a cross between Arsenal and Everton mate and everyone sitting back hoping to defend a 1-0 lead..
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15 Jul 2026 23:04:28
I don't think the plan was to sit back at all, Argentina forced us back and nearly scored twice before the change.
Tuchel reacted to the new reality of the match. We had something to hold on at that point.
I may have made the same decision.
This team, with the work started by Southgate, has given me new belief in the national team and I do think we have the right man in Tuchel.
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{Ed025's Note - i beg to differ FORNAX, England played boring football...went ahead then shat themselves mate against a poor Argentinian side..
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15 Jul 2026 23:11:05
Fornax, absolutely agree.
England's legs were going and our bench simply isn't great attacking wise. I hope Wharton kicks on and gets better and better. You need a midfielder in there to keep it flowing and moving.
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15 Jul 2026 23:12:33
Something, their legs were going. The press was impossible after 70 minutes. Toney, yes, I believe should have come on earlier, but the rest of the subs made sense.
England do not have top class attacking players to come on from the bench.
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15 Jul 2026 23:15:28
I'm sorry, but beating Doctor Congo, Norway and flipping Mexico doesn't mean gash.
Same old thing, soon as they play a real nation. Gone.
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15 Jul 2026 23:22:44
When you have Dan burn up top for the last ten, it's game over.
Appalling really.
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15 Jul 2026 23:29:25 Ron, he could've put Watkins or Toney on when it was clear that Kane couldn't run anymore (not that he does run much in the first place these days) to give you some chance of chasing stuff down and maybe pressuring the Argentine defenders at least somewhat, when they had the ball.
You can say "their legs were going", if you like, but as a manager, you have to make subs to try and reduce the impact of that. Bring on someone who might be able to get on the ball and complete a pass or two. Or bring on a forward or winger who'll chase after things. Tuchel chose instead to pack the team with defenders, which let Argentina walk the ball to within 20 yards of the England goal all the time. Of course, they were going to score.
It's ultimately no skin off my nose that Tuchel bottled it. I'm not English, and just found it hilarious.
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15 Jul 2026 23:30:41 Saka was on the bench.
12% possession in the 37 minutes between England's goal and Argentina's winner. That's capitulation.
Your opponent can't score if they don't have the ball. They needed to strengthen midfield, but instead they piled a load of defenders on the box.
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15 Jul 2026 23:33:09 Liverpool, you mean quality opposition. Those nations did very well and represented their countries greatly. We are not blessed with great quality throughout, or that perform as well for England. We lack in midfield and the wide areas.
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15 Jul 2026 23:42:15 Ron, what midfielders? There's no one that's going to keep the ball and keep it flowing. Wharton can do that, but needs to improve a level. Anderson is an outstanding player. Rice is decent for England. He gets found out against better opposition. Bellingham isn't a central midfielder. Our midfield is ok, but against the better technical sides, we always get found out. England beed Wharton to improve a level. Something, lol. Be serious mate. Those players are average. Toney might have done something if put in sooner.
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15 Jul 2026 23:54:16 We sat back, let them cross the ball, which is ok if we can defend them, but they were getting on to the end of those crosses. Maybe England's legs did go, but I doubt Spain or Argentina will rely on running and pressing to win the thing. We couldn't keep hold of the ball, and hoped that some good to average defenders would see us home for over half an hour. We didn't know what to do when we went 1-0 after 55 minutes, and that is worrying.
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16 Jul 2026 00:00:05 Tuchel backed himself into a corner with the squad he picked. There are technical players and better wingers he could have selected. Saka was clearly not fit enough to be selected. Toney, Henderson & Mainoo were complete wastes of squad spaces as they didn't play. Madueke is woeful. For a squad apparently built to bring the best out of Kane, Kane was pretty poor for most of the tournament imo.
Tuchel made a mistake putting so many defenders on, but it also just shows how poor our defenders are that even with 8 of them in the box, Argentina still managed to score a header.
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16 Jul 2026 00:03:22 Watch Cape Verde against Argentina and see how they play on the front foot. That team is Messi on his last legs, literally, and 10 plumbers. That was as sackable an offense as it gets from Tuchel, who took off everyone just to defend and get the goal peppered for 40-odd minutes.
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16 Jul 2026 00:06:49 We were competitive and combative until we scored, then the manager and the players all bottled it and tried to sit back when they should have been brave and carried on as they were. Serves them right. I have absolutely zero sympathy.
15 Jul 2026 22:30:34
The end was so predictable. Bring on an extra defender and give the opponent endless chances until they eventually score, build momentum, and suddenly have an extra attacker against a team that has spent the final minutes doing nothing but panic defending.
I mean, you can’t f'kin go 5 at the back and park the bus your way to a win anymore. Teams are too good. Giving up the pitch is a cardinal sin. You need control, and you need numbers ahead of the back line.
Giving up territory is so costly in the modern game.
"Let’s just let our goalie get bombarded for 40 minutes. It’s only Argentina, how many could they score?"
Billion-dollar national team and they play like prime Norwich City fighting relegation.
Probably the most you’ll ever see a manager s*** himself. Every sub hurt the team and made it so hard to even change things back after they equalised.
15 Jul 2026 22:28:11
Surely Maccas transfer fee has gone up in the last month.
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15 Jul 2026 23:13:16
Has it? By missing an absolute sitter with the header? The man's no legs for the Premier League.
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15 Jul 2026 23:21:33
Why would Macca's value have changed? The player is still the same - when he puts in the required effort he is an excellent player, when he's not 'up for it' and starts the third rate theatrics he becomes a passenger. What we as fans chose to see as his value may not be the same as outsiders value him.
I stand to be corrected, but I think, all things being equal, if he starts in the Final, he'll be the first player to play for Liverpool who will have played in 2 World Cup Finals. Not a bad achievement. There's a player in there, maybe AI can get him fired up.
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15 Jul 2026 23:40:35 If Argentina win the World Cup then for sure his Transfer Fee / Value will go up some.
imo, Liverpool should sell if a decent offer comes in.
But I think it would be bad for everyone involved if LFC was to start offering him to other clubs or make it obvious that trying to move him on.
My heart is saying let's see his performances with Iraola's style of football. Last chance now, on your absolute lazzies.
My head is saying, move him on, wish him the best. Replace him right now.
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16 Jul 2026 00:05:46 I reckon he'd more suited to playing in another country or further forward for us with a couple of proper midfielders behind him. Where would that leave Szob and Wirtz though? Or we could sign his compratriate Lynsey de Paul to help him out. Those Argentinian subs made a difference tonight and I'm not trying to make a pun about the war that enabled Thatcher to win another election. Some things you just don't joke about.
15 Jul 2026 22:23:53
Don't know who I despise more: Tuchel or Messi?
Tuchel completely threw it away, made nothing but defensive changes, and you could see the goal coming a mile away. Parked the bus and, at the first sign of panic, reverted to Pickford, boot the ball to our striker, Dan Burn (Recognised centre back), while Kane continues to play DM.
As for Messi, you are 39, man. Give it a break. This is the time when you are supposed to offer nothing, to very little. Instead this (trying my best not to swear) little man has dragged Argentina to another final. Wth?
15 Jul 2026 22:40:10
I did think that by replacing Southgate with Tuchel would give us a different outcome and performance.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen tonight.
However, that was Tuchel's first tournament, and if he can improve in the next one, it might see us winning one soon.
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15 Jul 2026 23:16:59
Despise is a strong word.
We ended up with a whole defensive team full of holes. We weren't even winning headers in our box!
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{Ed025's Note - but we did have Dan Burn to come on against a team of Munchkins Rigsby...how did that work out mate?..
15 Jul 2026 22:11:19
England sat back after scoring n invited pressure, took Gordon off you put Rashford on, but Kane was on his last legs. But look at the sub striker Toney. Just lacking in quality players who can make the difference.
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15 Jul 2026 22:42:13
Lacking quality players? Maybe. Problem was a manager who thought he could give that Argentinian side all the space to play into. I thought Tuchel was supposed to be elite? As soon as England scored, they were beaten; no better than Southgate, and England still haven't learned how to see out a game tactically.
Now let's get back to proper football, looking forward to the new season.
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{Ed025's Note - it was like watching Everton CGD, get the first goal then defend for your lives, horrible to watch mate and a complete capitulation..
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15 Jul 2026 23:15:24
CGD, so where are the quality players? We have Kane, Bellingham, Rice, Anderson, then a 2nd tier of Gordon, Rashford, Saka, not much in reserve. Yea, I agree we sat back too much, but don't think we had a choice unless we swapped Rashford for Gordon etc. Momentum swings it; as soon as they scored we were deflated. If we hung on we'd be heroes.
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{Ed025's Note - and if my Auntie had balls she would be my uncle Strom, it was disgraceful and we deserved to lose mate..
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16 Jul 2026 00:20:11 We never looked like hanging on. Stromsy, They hit the post twice before scoring and Enzo was allowed to practice shots on our goal. MacAllister could have scored with two headers. Martinez did score, and how tall are they?
15 Jul 2026 22:09:56
Messi is 39 and still has magic feet.
Tough loss. The side sat back too much after the goal inviting the pressure.
You need a great wide player in the modern game to make a real difference.
We don't have one. A fit Saka isn't it either. No "superstar" dragged us out of this.
There's no disgrace in losing to Argentina. We're a good side, not a great one.
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15 Jul 2026 22:44:08
They aren't a great side either, they shouldn't have even got this far and we all know how they did. England do what they always do when they get to a position they're supposed to be in, issue is the defensive changes did not help us. All Argentina had to do was play around our box and put good crosses in, even though we're twice the size of them. How we didn't make some attacking changes with pace once we realised we were going to be playing on the counter I'll never know, every player on the pitch was slow af, whilst you got the likes of rashford and saka on the bench.
Argentina were the worst team to lose to, they are a very dislikable nation, and at that stage it gets political too. I really hope Spain do them, but something tells me corruption will win.
15 Jul 2026 22:09:53
As much as Argentina are basically Team Evil, it is good to see a manager get punished for trying to sit on a 1-0 by putting on around 7 center backs.
Let's hope for a Spain win on Sunday though.
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15 Jul 2026 22:23:12
Agreed, taking off a confident goal scorer and attacking outlet felt like a very schoolboy error there.
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15 Jul 2026 22:23:22
Tuchel made a right balls of that.
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15 Jul 2026 22:28:49
No, I disagree. The players weren't told to sit back. They naturally did that themselves. Dan Burn, I have no problem with if there was a set piece. Toney should have come in, though a lot sooner. The conditions are zapping. Rice was poor, Oreily coming on, no problem.
England do not have midfielders to come on and dictate the game.
Anderson is England's best midfielder. Rice is decent for England but Anderson has been a level above.
England have some very good players but we lack top quality in some key areas against the better opposition.
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15 Jul 2026 22:48:16
"The players weren't told to sit back"
Mate, when Argentina scored their goals, England had Spence, O'Reilly, Stones, Geuhi, Konsa and Burn on the pitch. That's 6 defenders. On what planet is that not sitting back?
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15 Jul 2026 23:30:00 We stopped trying to win and reverted to our standard way of playing - trying not to lose. At the very highest level - like a World Cup semi-final, 99 times out of 100 you'll get found out.
I remember winning it in 66 and the impact it had on the game in England. I was hoping we'd win it and it kick starting the PL, which has been increasingly average in the past two or three years. Shame we bowed out with a whimper.
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15 Jul 2026 23:47:44 Tuchel is the coach, Ron. He decides on tactics, formation, starters and substitutions, game management. The players do what the coach coaches them to do. This is all about Thomas Tuchel. All of it.
{Ed025's Note - its a pity he is an odious little irk really Nath..