England's World Cup run raises familiar questions about quality

Thomas Tuchel claimed you could bottle up England's mentality and sell it. What you could not sell, he said, is their big-game reliability when it matters. The head coach made those remarks in an outspoken interview after the World Cup quarter-final win against Norway, in which he was highly critical of England's performance in the 2-1 victory. He later suggested that controlling the game and the ball may not be in England's DNA.

The desperate late collapse that resulted in England losing to Argentina in the subsequent semi-final, missing out on a first men's World Cup final appearance since they won the tournament at Wembley in 1966, raised familiar questions about a string of near misses. England can add this bitter disappointment to successive Euro final losses and the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat by Croatia, giving weight to the argument they will always be a 'nearly' team.

Reliance on moments

Effort, spirit and the knack of producing big moments are commendable but will only take you so far — in England's case, not far enough. The devastating late collapse against Argentina joins a catalogue of disappointment now stretching to 60 years. Do England lack all-round quality?

England's World Cup campaign was led by the world-class quality of their two outstanding performers: captain Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Of the Three Lions' 14 goals so far, Kane and Bellingham have scored 12 between them — six each — with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon the other contributors. Tuchel was hampered by Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka struggling with illness and injuries, reducing the effectiveness of a pair he would have been counting on. John Stones remains a class act but is now 32, while elsewhere England are solid and reliable rather than spectacular.

England do not have class stamped right through the side like World Cup finalists and European champions Spain, or France with their stellar array of attacking talent, and they lack the in-built desire and refusal to be beaten of Argentina, helped along by the enduring genius of Lionel Messi. It means their campaign has been restricted, and on occasion rescued, by existing on moments. It has not been characterised by good performances.

Key moments of rescue

When England were behind to DR Congo in the last 32, it was Kane's late double that pulled them away from the precipice. When they were behind against Norway in the quarter-final, Bellingham was the saviour with two goals. It was then that Tuchel may well have given the game away when he heaped praise on England's mentality but lambasted their lack of quality.

England deserve huge credit for one of their great World Cup wins when they came through the Azteca cauldron to beat Mexico in Mexico City, but have they actually played well? Only if you count 30 minutes in the second half of the 4-2 win against Croatia in their opening group game. England were only 15 minutes away from humiliation against DR Congo until Kane saved them.

Lack of control against quality sides

For all the experience in England's team, and even with the presence of quality such as Rice and Elliot Anderson in midfield, Tuchel's team lack an ability to control possession and dictate terms and tempo against quality sides. Tuchel said ball possession 'plays a crucial role'. 'It's maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem,' he said. 'I still think we can show how good football players we are. I think that is still in us, as I see it in training and in every camp.'

It is why they have failed so often when confronted with sides they are not widely expected to beat — and indeed when Croatia passed England off the pitch in Moscow in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.