England’s defeat to Spain was the kind of match that left supporters wondering how a game that appeared to be in their hands suddenly slipped away.
The intensity was there from the opening whistle. England showed courage, attacked Spain with purpose and managed to take the lead, but the match eventually turned into a painful lesson about concentration, possession and what can happen when you give a world-class opponent even the smallest opening.
Journalist approached England legend Gary Lineker and asked him what he made of the dramatic defeat and, more importantly, where he believed Thomas Tuchel got things wrong.
Lineker paused before giving his assessment.
“England are a good team. There is no question about that. But there is one particular thing that keeps hurting them when they face teams at Spain’s level they don’t always punish mistakes when they have control, and sometimes they allow one mistake to completely change the game.”
That was where his criticism of Tuchel began.
According to the Lineker reaction, England had done enough early in the match to put Spain under serious pressure. They were aggressive, moved the ball well and looked capable of causing Spain problems.
But after taking the lead, the momentum began to change.
And the penalty miss made the situation even more dramatic.
England had the opportunity to increase their advantage, but once that chance disappeared, Spain immediately sensed an opening.
“You can’t allow one mistake to take control away from what you’re already controlling,” the Lineker said.
“That’s the biggest disappointment for me. England had the game where they wanted it. They had the lead, they had confidence, and Spain were having to respond. But when the penalty was missed, England suddenly looked less composed.”
Spain, of course, are not the kind of team that need to be invited twice.
They began pressing for mistakes, and England’s concentration appeared to drop. Possession became harder to protect, passes became riskier and Spain gradually found their way back into the contest.
That, in the Lineker analysis, was where Tuchel should have reacted.
“Spain are a team that will look for any mistake from their opponent and punish you for it. You have to understand that. When you see your players beginning to lose possession, when you see them switching off for moments, you have to do something about the game.”
“I expected Tuchel to recognise that England were beginning to lose control. The warning signs were there. But England didn’t react quickly enough, and eventually the worst happened.”
The criticism was not simply about one individual error.
It was about what happened around the mistake.
England had started the match with energy and belief, but once Spain began taking control, England struggled to recover the same rhythm. Spain’s ability to turn small openings into dangerous attacks eventually proved decisive.
“If England had maintained the way they started the game, I genuinely believe they could have won it,” the Lineker assessment continued.
“But against Spain, you cannot switch off. You cannot give them opportunities and expect them not to punish you. They are too experienced, too technically good and too ruthless when they smell weakness.”
That was ultimately the message behind the pundit’s verdict: England had shown enough quality to compete, but they failed to protect their advantage when the pressure increased.
The defeat therefore became more than just a result.
For England supporters, it became a question of game management how a team capable of starting so strongly allowed Spain to turn the match around.
Lineker’s biggest criticism of Tuchel was simple: the warning signs were there, but England did not respond before Spain punished them.
“That’s the level England want to reach,” he concluded. “And if they want to beat teams like Spain, they have to learn how to stay in control when the game becomes difficult.”
His assessment quickly became the centre of the post-match conversation, with England fans debating whether Tuchel should have reacted earlier when Spain began to take control.
