'WHAT DO I KNOW?' - DONALD TRUMP JOINS CRITICISM OF THOMAS TUCHEL FOR PLAYING 'GOLF PARTNER' HARRY KANE IN 'DEFENSE' DURING WORLD CUP EXIT

 

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United States President Donald Trump has offered an unlikely critique of Thomas Tuchel's tactics following England's dramatic World Cup semi-final exit against Argentina. The American leader questioned the decision to drop captain Harry Kane into a deep defensive role after the Three Lions surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 in Atlanta.

Tuchel faces unlikely critic

Criticism of Tuchel's tactics following England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina has come from an unexpected source, with US President Trump questioning the manager's decisions. The Three Lions looked set to reach the final after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, but Tuchel's switch to a back five - eventually finishing with six defenders - allowed Argentina to dominate the closing stages. Lionel Messi set up goals for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, sealing a dramatic 2-1 win for the South Americans.

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Trump questions tactical mistake

Speaking alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino during an event at Trump Tower, Trump referenced his friendship with Kane from a past round of golf before questioning the manager's tactical adjustments.

Trump said: "You have a great player in England, who I played golf with. You know that, right? Harry, who's been fantastic. I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player.

"What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him on defence. We have got to be a little offensive, right? But I'm not going to call it. What do I know about coaching? It was unusual, but Harry is a great guy, actually."

Manager rejects defensive claims

Tuchel shrugged off Trump's comments while defending his team's defensive structure and the captain's role on the pitch. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the third-place playoff against France, the England boss insisted: "Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case or...? I was just asking.

"In which situation did Harry play too deep? What do you mean? Like in the last 30 minutes? Well, we defended in a deep block. That's what you do if you defend in a block. We were not active enough, we could not escape the deep block, but if you defend in a deep block, everyone defends in a deep block. That is what team spirit, togetherness, and mentality is translated to in football terms.

"We defend as a 10 and as 11, and if we are pushed back to a deep block, Harry defends in a deep block. This is what he did for moments in the first half. The difference is that we pushed back and we stepped out and we found the triggers to come out of the deep block. But we do everything together as a team.

"The team spirit, the togetherness, the mentality that this team built in the last six and a half weeks is not to be questioned and it showed even in defending. We became too passive in the last 30 minutes. We could not get hold of the ball, we could not find duels anymore. This is the next step that we want to take and from there we go."

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FA backing remains firm

England must swiftly shift their focus to face a tough test against France in Saturday's World Cup third-place playoff match. Despite the wave of criticism following their semi-final collapse, ESPNreports that Tuchel's position remains perfectly secure, with the tactician retaining the full backing of the Football Association (FA) to lead the team through to Euro 2028.

- Adhe Makayasa

DONALD TRUMP APPEARS TO BE SNUBBED BY ONE CHELSEA STAR, WHO MISSED HANDSHAKE WITH THE US PRESIDENT AT CLUB WORLD CUP TROPHY PRESENTATION

The Blues youngster decided against waiting for the US President and instead accepted the congratulations of Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly

Chelsea youngster Tyrique George skipped a handshake from United States President Donald Trump after the Blues' Club World Cup win. 

Trump was put to work by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino after watching Chelsea claim a shock 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, handing out medals to the victorious squad before taking centre stage for the trophy lift.

For the most part, his presence during this portion of the ceremony went unnoticed. That was until George, who has enjoyed a breakout year for the Blues, dodged a handshake from Trump. 

Seeing Trump occupied by the task of retrieving another medal, the 19-year-old decided against waiting and instead opted to receive the congratulations of Blues co-owner Todd Boehly. 

The snub, intentional or otherwise, was noted by Trump, who looked in the youngster's direction before returning to his temporary duties. 

Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Trump later inserted himself into the heart of Chelsea's celebrations, deciding to remain among the Blues stars as skipper Reece James lifted the Club World Cup trophy. 

It was anticipated that the Commander-in-Chief would step aside after giving the trophy to James - as is customary. However, to the bewilderment of many Chelsea players, Trump remained on stage for the entire trophy lift.

Trump took centre stage for Chelsea's trophy lift, remaining next to Blues skipper Reece James for the historic moment

England hero Cole Palmer looked especially confused by Trump's actions and appeared to utter the words: 'What's he doing?'

Trump had earlier presented Palmer with the golden ball award with the 23-year-old midfielder looking as equally baffled during that presentation.

He and First Lady Melania arrived roughly 35 minutes before kickoff at the nearby Teterboro Airport on the presidential Marine One helicopter from his local golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The 79-year-old was given VIP treatment as he soaked up the action alongside Melania, who cut a chic figure in a white dress and black blazer, and FIFA boss Infantino.

The 79-year-old was given VIP treatment as he soaked up the action alongside Melania, who cut a chic figure in a white dress and black blazer, and FIFA boss Infantino

The outing fell on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt Trump survived in Butler, Pennsylvania, and significant security measures were put in place for his arrival.

As detailed in The Athletic , secret service officials worked with organizers to put together a travel route to the venue, and it was believed he would be behind a pane of bulletproof glass at the game.

The president was put on screen at MetLife during the singing of the national anthem prior to the game, and reports emerged from the stadium that he was booed before the stadium camera cut away from him.

MetLife Stadium later echoed with more boos when Trump, joined by Infantino, made his way out onto the field to present the champions with the trophy.

Trump's involvement in the trophy presentation after the game further complicated the required security around the American Commander-in-Chief.

'When you do the threat and risk assessment, you cover anything that could go wrong: if they were at a mass gathering, what if the stage collapsed?' Nigel Thomas, a former British Special Air Service (SAS) soldier and founder of security training firm, Blue Mountain Group, told The Athletic.

'We will have a standard operating procedure for that, for example. You need to be prepared for it, and that takes communication with stadium security and emergency services.'

- TUM BALOGUN

CONOR MCGREGOR UPLOADS ON DONALD TRUMP FOR SAYING KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV IS HIS FAVOURITE FIGHTER

Conor McGregor has taken aim at former United States President Donald Trump after he revealed Khabib Nurmagomedov as his favorite fighter.

Trump has been an avid fan of MMA and the UFC for years and he usually attends a couple of events each year. On Monday, while doing Adin Ross’ live stream on Kick, Trump revealed Nurmagomedov is his favorite fighter of all time, which caught many by surprise.

“Well, I think Khabib. Khabib was 29-0, and then his father died and he stopped. I think he never lost a round. He fought many times, he never lost a round. I got to meet him at a fight, two fights ago, as I walked in with Dana… I met Khabib and he said ‘You are the man who could stop the war’ talking about the war in Ukraine and Russia,” Trump said about Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Following Donald Trump’s comments, Conor McGregor took to social media and blasted the former President. McGregor believes Trump saying Nurmagomedov is his favorite fighter will cost him the election.

“Campaign ending decision. A smelly fat mountain monkey from the inbred mountains of Dagestan is your favorite UFC (AMERICAN COMPANY) fighter? Wow. Abysmal,” McGregor wrote… “I was actually wrong. Couple hundred million he is worth. Not multi B. I would have thought USA ONLY would be the mentality here and what I would want to see out of my president, personally. To pick a retired inbred fighter from Dagestan Russia who has 3 main events only to his name is astounding. Over all the American fighters that have backed him. It’s a shocking decision. He was caught on the spot. That won’t go unnoticed on the roster. This presidential race is very tight right now. More so now.”

Conor McGregor didn’t stop there as he continued to take aim at Donald Trump and Khabib Nurmagomedov for his comments.

“trumps favorite fighter. here he is in a tiny tub with his fellow inbred pals in dagestan. Can you spot him? Where’s Khabib? Find Khabib,” Conor McGregor added.

It’s clear that Conor McGregor is not a fan of Donald Trump picking Khabib Nurmagomedov as his favorite fighter as the two were rivals.

- Cole Shelton