Paul Scholes, the legendary Manchester United and England midfielder, didn't hold back his criticism of Harry Kane's deep-lying play during England's World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina, famously questioning, "What the f*** are you doing?"
Kane, England's top scorer in World Cups and overall for the national team, often drops into midfield to influence the game. However, Scholes felt this strategy backfired in the crucial match, arguing that it would frustrate any midfielder on the pitch.
Speaking on "The Good, The Bad, and The Football Podcast," Scholes expressed his frustration: "If I keep seeing my centre-forward almost coming behind me half the time, I’d hate that. I want my centre-forward to play centre-forward." He added that it's a leadership issue, suggesting midfielders like himself and Roy Keane would have confronted a forward doing that, demanding they stay further up the pitch.
The defeat, a 2-1 loss to Argentina after initially leading, has left England out of the final. Kane himself acknowledged the team's near misses, stating, "We've given everything over these last seven weeks and to fall short is hard to take! We’ve been knocking on the door for eight years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw!"
Questions are also being raised about manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical decisions, particularly his defensive approach late in the game. Former England coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink suggested that Gareth Southgate likely wouldn't have made such a drastic defensive switch so early, preferring to maintain attacking energy.
