England's World Cup campaign was derailed by a "euphoric" victory over Mexico, which created a false sense of security and a flawed approach to defending leads, according to former player Michael Owen.
Owen contends that England's 3-2 win against Mexico was not a blueprint for World Cup success but rather for failure. He criticizes the "dangerous overreaction" from players and supporters who labeled the match as England's greatest performance, obscuring a fundamental misunderstanding of true footballing bravery. Instead of asserting dominance, the team adopted a passive mentality, believing that defending a lead would result in heroic status.
This mindset, Owen argues, proved detrimental in subsequent matches, most notably against Argentina. "England were petrified of losing. Absolutely terrified," he stated, noting that while technical failures were discussed, the core issue was a crisis of confidence. He drew a parallel to his own experience scoring against Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final, where a similar retreat into a negative mindset led to an irreversible disadvantage.
Owen contrasted England's approach with that of Spain, who he cited as an example of true bravery. Spain, facing a formidable French attack, maintained possession and control of the game, a strategy Owen believes is characteristic of top teams. "They made it about them, not France," he observed, suggesting England should have adopted a similar assertive stance.
He suggested that England might need to experience further setbacks to learn how to dominate games rather than merely survive them. Citing Liverpool's evolution under Jurgen Klopp, Owen noted that the team eventually refined their style after initial criticisms, becoming a more formidable unit. Owen believes England's pattern of giving up leads against Croatia in 2018, Italy in 2021, and Argentina in the recent tournament stems from this mental fragility and a misplaced belief in defensive tactics.
Furthermore, Owen directed criticism towards Thomas Tuchel, the team's manager, suggesting his tactical decisions and substitutions during crucial moments encouraged negativity and doubt. "Rather than become the solution, he became part of the problem," Owen stated, questioning Tuchel's half-time encouragement of bravery against Croatia, which was not reflected in the team's subsequent performance against Argentina. The decision to field six defenders while possessing world-class attackers like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham was particularly criticized.
Owen also expressed skepticism regarding Tuchel's new contract, calling it a "farce" given the team's performance. He reiterated his long-held belief that the England manager position should be held by an English coach, someone who understands the nation's footballing history and "scars." Owen concluded that until England stops confusing survival with bravery and confronts its mental approach to key moments, meaningful change will remain elusive.