Gary Lineker and the BBC pundits were giddy following England’s win over Tunisia on Monday night.
England began their World Cup campaign by snatching a last-minute winner against the North African team. Harry Kane opened the scoring early in the game by knocking in a close-range effort after John Stones’ header from a corner was saved. Gareth Southgate’s team were then in control for the first 25-minutes or so and created several chances. However, they missed them all, and Tunisia found a way back into the match.
Kyle Walker’s stray arm connected with Fakhreddine Ben Youssef and the Tunisian’s were rightly awarded a penalty, which they dispatched. Then, there wasn’t a lot from England. Over the next 55 minutes, they struggled to pose their opponents any problems and appeared to have completely run out of ideas.
All Tunisia had to do was drop deep, tinker their formation and cut off space for Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli to operate in. Harry Kane was completely isolated and it took two set-piece goals – one in stoppage time – to get the win.
Of course, they deserve credit for their victory. Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Portugal – all of whom are better sides than England – failed to record a win in their opening game of the tournament. So, England are understandably positive after getting the three points and setting themselves up for a place in the last-16.
Yet, there is absolutely no-way their performance was “exceptional”, as Lineker said on BBC following the final whistle.
Gary Lineker calling that an “exceptional” performance by England 😳
— Matt Cooper (@cooper_m) June 18, 2018
Lineker saying England were “exceptional” and no one will want to face them…embarrassing to say the least!!
— Paul Cahill (@Cahill50) June 18, 2018
I like Gary Lineker, but that was not “an exceptional performance “ as he described it .
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) June 18, 2018
Firstly, the word “exceptional” means “unusually good” or “outstanding.” Some synonyms of “exceptional” are “rare”, “unprecedented” and “extraordinary.” These are words that should be reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo. They aren’t words that should be used in relation to a late win over a modestly talented team, in a match where one side had dominated but squandered clear chances due to a lack of composure.
England were not, in any way whatsoever, “exceptional.”
They were impressive for 25-minutes but failed to take their chances. They were then adequate for just over an hour. Lineker’s use of the word was puzzling. Some might say it’s unfair to be critical of England after their win, and maybe it is. But it’s equally unfair to build false expectations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5u3RxSh1cQ
The BBC continually referenced the chances England missed, citing them as evidence of how well they had played and how they “should” have won by more. Yet, those missed chances could easily be used as an example of how wasteful they had been and how they were effectively lucky to get the win by scoring from two corners.
They won’t get as many chances against better sides and their finishing will have to greatly improve. If Tunisia marked Kane at any of England’s corners, it’s quite possible they wouldn’t have won Monday’s game. The BBC also used words like “resilient” when describing England’s win, creating a narrative of them overcoming adversity.
It depends on your perspective, and Lineker and the BBC did their absolute best to focus on the positives from the match at the expense of the wider context.
Shearer “very soft.” Lineker “You’d see 15 penalties a match.” Lampard “If you go in with your arms at that height you do beg the question.”
This could make a decent World Cup game. https://t.co/IMQg9xIqmR— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarrett) June 18, 2018
According to Transfermarkt, Kane is the joint-third most valuable player competing at the World Cup. Along with Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, the Tottenham forward would cost at least £135m. The entire Tunisia squad is worth £52.9m. Their most valuable player is Wahbi Khazri (£9m), once of Sunderland but now on-loan with Rennes in France.
By this metric, Monday’s Group G contest was a complete mismatch. Yet, we’re supposed to believe that England were, in fact, “exceptional.” God help us if they actually play well for an entire game, and beat a side of equal or better quality.
