Clinton Morrison's World Cup Final Preview, England's Exit, Messi's Legacy & All the Awards
The World Cup is down to its final two games. England are out, beaten by Argentina in a semi final that turned on Tuchel's substitutions. Spain and Argentina prepare to meet in what promises to be a spectacular final. And Messi is still standing.
Clinton Morrison joined us for his World Cup verdict, an honest assessment of where England went wrong, his thoughts on Thomas Tuchel's future, all the tournament awards predictions and his final score prediction.
Here's what Clinton had to say, and don't forget to check out the best World Cup Free Bets & Betting Sites, courtesy of Free Bets.
IN FULL: Clinton Morrison's World Cup Verdict
ENGLAND VS ARGENTINA, WHERE IT WENT WRONG
I feel like when you're 1-0 up and you're in control of the game, I don't think Argentina were causing England any problems. And then you make tactical changes. Listen, if you brought attacking players on it might not have worked out, but at least if you bring attacking players on you're going for it instead of sitting back. You give players like Messi time and space and he's going to hurt you. That's exactly what happened and England got punished.
I thought they managed the game up until about 60 minutes really well. But you can do that against the likes of Mexico and Norway. You do it against Argentina who have the best player in the world and you're going to get hurt.
On the substitutions:
When you're 1-0 up don't sit back, because if you sit back you enable pressure. And they've got good players who can unlock the door. And sometimes having too many defenders on is counterproductive. When Lautaro Martinez scores, he's got a free header in the six yard box with that many defenders around him. It baffles you. The game was won and lost in those substitutions.
If you want to go to a five at the back, fine. But then you took off Declan Rice and brought on Nico O'Reilly. Couldn't someone like Kobbie Mainoo come on, someone who can drive you up the pitch and has had no minutes? When you're defending so deep and clearing the ball you need someone to hold it up. They were just defending and it's inevitable when you defend that deep for 20 minutes, you're going to concede. I know they did it against Mexico but Mexico haven't got the quality Argentina have.
On Thomas Tuchel:
He got it wrong. And first and foremost, Southgate made those same changes and he got crucified by the whole nation. So Tuchel's going to get some stick. Do I still think he's a good manager? Of course he's a good manager, look at his CV. But when he sits down and thinks about it, he's got to realize he got it wrong at the end.
Is he still the right man?
Yeah. I know a lot of people are saying sack him, but if you're going to sack him, who's out there? Pep Guardiola, if he becomes available, you grab it with both hands. But I just don't see the FA making a change. I think they'll stick with Tuchel. And his next job is the Euros in England where he's got a great chance. It'll probably be between England, Spain and France and Germany with Klopp.
JED SPENCE, THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE TOURNAMENT
Outstanding. Outstanding. Outstanding. He's the quickest player in that England squad. Once Simeone gets in behind last night, I don't think any other defender gets back at him. And the way he made that recovery tackle, it's just as good as scoring a goal. A lot of people questioned Tuchel for picking Spence when he hadn't had a particularly good season at Tottenham. I think next season he'll have a very good season wherever he plays. He can hold his head very high.
BELLINGHAM, ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN AT A TOURNAMENT
Bellingham without a shadow of a doubt has enhanced his reputation. I know everyone knows about Jude, but when media people question his attitude, they don't understand that football is about winning. His will to win doesn't mean he's got a bad attitude. Because he wants to win and he gets upset, it's because he's got standards. He's at one of the best clubs in the world in Real Madrid. He sets high standards. Jude Bellingham has been a joke in this tournament. All the big players have turned up. It's been a joy to watch.
ARGENTINA, WHY THEY'RE WORLD CHAMPIONS
They've got super mentality. They're horrible to play against. And that's in the nicest possible way. You bring on players like Lautaro Martinez and you've got Messi. People make me laugh. I saw people tweeting, oh where's Messi, has he not turned up? Don't tweet anything about Messi before you've waited until the end of the game. Because all those tweets came back to bite people. He made two assists and turned it on in the last half hour. You can't sleep on the best player in the world.
SPAIN DEMOLISHED FRANCE, HERE'S WHY
France were playing individually and the individual players just didn't turn up. Every single one of them. Mbappe, Dembélé, Olise, Kolo Muani. We've praised them so much, they're fantastic footballers, but they just didn't turn up. You've got to give credit to Spain. Pedro Porro was outstanding. That's not the Pedro Porro I saw at Tottenham this season. Cucurella is always good and that's why he's going to Real Madrid. And then Rodri. This is why he won the Ballon d'Or. He hadn't been the same since his injury but now he's back to his absolute best.
And this is where England have to learn. At 1-0 up, what Spain did is they didn't go gung ho. They stayed in their shape but they kept the ball. England when they had the ball last night just kept giving it back to Argentina. You have to keep possession because if you keep giving it back to the opposition they're going to break on you.
THE WORLD CUP FINAL PREVIEW, SPAIN VS ARGENTINA
Key tactical battles:
I think Spain's midfield is stronger than Argentina's even though Fernandes and Mac Allister have had good tournaments. I think Spain will dominate possession. Cucurella and Porro will have to be good. Messi likes to float out to the right hand side and I don't think Cucurella will give him the time or space. But as the game opens up Messi wanders and drifts. There are key battles all over the pitch. Argentina defensively, Romero and Martínez love to have a scrap. And I think Yamal against Tagliafico would be a great battle. Yamal is starting to up his game and that could be where it's won and lost. But you can never write Argentina off. They're world champions for a reason.
On whether the two best teams are in the final:
Well it shows they're the best teams by the fact that they're there. But the best team throughout has been France. Spain against France, who everyone had as favorites, Spain turned up and were magnificent. And Spain have always had a hold over France. It might be their bogey team.
As for Argentina, they're world champions for a reason. They play for their magician. They've got players like Paredes and De Paul basically bodyguarding Messi. Anyone that touches him, they're the first ones around the referee. And they've got Alvarez up front who is one of the best around, non stop, just a pest.
CLINTON'S AWARDS PREDICTIONS
Golden Ball: Messi if Argentina win. Eight goals and four assists at 39 years of age in those conditions is a joke. If Spain win, it's Rodri. Magnificent in midfield and back to his Ballon d'Or best.
Golden Glove: Simón of Spain. They've only conceded one goal in the entire tournament.
Young Player of the Tournament: Between Yamal and Cubarsí. Cubarsí has gone under the radar but he's been outstanding alongside Laporte. Everyone forgets Yamal is still only 19.
Golden Boot: Messi and Mbappé both on eight goals. Kane and Bellingham on six. Don't rule out Kane or Bellingham getting two against France. Mbappé will want the Golden Boot just to say he's got one up on the maestro Messi. Even the so called meaningless third place game might matter more than people think for a few of those players.
Game of the Tournament: Cape Verde against Argentina. A country that didn't even think they'd get out of the group stages, pushing Argentina to the limit and scoring one of the goals of the tournament. It put their country and their players on the map. Cape Verde have been outstanding.
CLINTON'S FINAL SCORE PREDICTIONS
| Match | Clinton's Prediction |
|---|---|
| England vs France (Third place playoff) | France 3-2 |
| Argentina vs Spain (World Cup final) | Spain 2-1 (aet) |
"I am 50/50 on this one. It could easily be 2-1 Argentina. If I had to put my neck on the line, Spain. Just."
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