Argentina’s players were reportedly surprised that Bukayo Saka was not introduced as England surrendered their lead in Wednesday’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat.
Lionel Scaloni and his coaching staff had prepared for Thomas Tuchel to introduce Saka or Noni Madueke after Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute.
The reigning world champions were conscious of the problems England’s attacking substitutes could cause as they committed more players forward in pursuit of an equaliser.
Saka would have presented a particularly difficult challenge because of his ability to receive possession under pressure, isolate full-backs and repeatedly make productive decisions in attacking areas.
While the Arsenal winger may not offer the same explosive pace he possessed earlier in his career, he remains one of England’s most reliable players in one-v-one situations and has consistently demonstrated his ability to beat defenders or create opportunities from the right.
Instead, Argentina gradually realised they had little attacking threat to worry about as England retreated deeper.
Tuchel replaced goalscorer Gordon with Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute and switched to a back five, before Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly replaced Reece James and Declan Rice respectively.
Neither Saka nor Madueke entered the match despite Argentina’s players reportedly being reminded of their qualities at half-time.
England subsequently struggled badly to retain possession or provide an outlet when their defence regained the ball.
The Three Lions had just 12 per cent possession between Gordon’s opener and Lautaro Martinez’s eventual winner, while completing only four passes during a crucial 19-minute spell after switching formation.
England’s increasingly defensive approach also encouraged Scaloni to take greater risks.
The Argentina boss eventually withdrew specialist left-back Nicolas Tagliafico for Martinez, with Nico Gonzalez moving into defence as the threat from England’s right side diminished.
Enzo Fernandez eventually equalised from distance before Martinez struck in stoppage time to complete the turnaround.
The absence of Saka became a significant talking point among Argentina’s players during their post-match celebrations, with Scaloni’s side having expected the Arsenal forward to feature as the game opened up.
England captain Harry Kane subsequently admitted that attempting to “hold on” after taking the lead was insufficient, while Marc Guehi suggested the team should have continued pushing forward.
Tuchel insisted his switch to a back five was designed to help England defend more aggressively rather than simply retreat.
However, the decision ultimately failed to produce the intended effect.
Instead of giving Argentina another problem to solve through the introduction of a decisive attacker, England sacrificed their attacking outlets and allowed the world champions to dictate the closing stages before completing a dramatic comeback.