For England, it is difficult to escape the crushing sense of deja vu.Thomas Tuchel’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in their 2026 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Of their last five eliminations at major tournaments, four have been to the same scoreline. And just as they did almost eight years ago to the day against Croatia, they took the lead, only to see it slip away late on.The debate will rage for days, weeks and months surrounding England’s defensive approach as the clock ticked down. To get to this very point this summer, they bunkered in and protected precious leads against Mexico and Norway, relying on towering centre-backs and tough-tackling midfielders to keep the opposition at bay. But Argentina, and in particular Lionel Messi, presented a different challenge — one that was ultimately too much to bear.This is the brutal reality of the World Cup, as years of meticulous preparation are defined by in-game decisions and 40 agonising minutes on the pitch. But even with the clarity of hindsight, the question is worth posing; did England go too negative, too early? Or were they simply reacting to masses of pressure from one of football’s best ever players, and one of the great tournament teams?How did England initially quell Messi?It has to be said that Tuchel’s side kept tabs on Messi extremely well throughout an attritional first period.It ended with the 39-year-old losing the ball 15 times, more than in the opening 45 minutes of any match he played at the past two World Cups or Copa Americas. Both sides were risk-averse on the ball and physical off it, with a combined 19 fouls and only three shots.England’s defensive plan was clear. Harry Kane kept an eye on Leandro Paredes, the deepest Argentina midfielder, and it was left to wingers Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers to press. Tuchel prioritised man-marking in central midfield, and was content to allow long balls because England had a two-v-one advantage with both centre-backs further back.Elliot Anderson made sure he went touch-tight to Messi when Argentina tried to pass forward into him from their centre-backs, as we can see below.Here’s Anderson doing just that, and then dispossessing Messi after he made a heavy touch.This pressing trap stopped Argentina building through the middle and accessing Messi early. When England did choose to retreat into a mid-block, they made sure to crowd out the Argentina captain. It’s how Anderson was yellow carded on 37 minutes, when Gordon and Kane missed tackles on Messi and Anderson fouled him, preventing the counter-attack progressing.At times, Anderson man-marked him aggressively and would leave the far-side midfielder clear.Of Messi’s 36 carries, only two were progressive — defined by Opta as one which moves the ball at least five metres upfield. He did complete nine of his 11 attempted dribbles, his joint-most in a World Cup match, but none of these led to a key pass or shot. England kept making sure to overload the central channel in the second half, often with Kane coming deep to support. By the 60-minute mark, Messi had only created one chance and none of his three crosses had found a teammate.What changed late on?But there is an inevitability about Messi and Argentina, who have now scored 11 goals after the 75th-minute mark this tournament.