Messi Takes England Out of the World Cup, Plus Preparing for Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' With Ian Wright, Anthony Dabbundo, and Sean Fennessey

July 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“We’re five minutes away from 90 minutes and then the extra time on top from getting to a World Cup final. And we were hanging on for dear life from the time we scored until the time they scored.” That is how Ian Wright, former Arsenal striker and England legend, described England’s semifinal loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. On this episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, host Chris Ryan (filling in for Bill) breaks down the match with Wright, previews the final between Spain and Argentina with gambling analyst Anthony Dabbundo, and then pivots to a deep conversation with The Big Picture’s Sean Fennessey about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—the film event of the year that premieres this weekend.

England’s Collapse: A Tactical Autopsy

The central question of the England-Argentina semifinal is why manager Thomas Tuchel abandoned the strategy that had worked. England took a 1-0 lead through a goal built on width and aggression—Jude Bellingham made a run, the ball went wide, and a cross found the net. But after scoring, England dropped deep, holding only 12 percent possession until Lautaro Martínez equalized. Wright is blunt: “It was a negative play from my point of view.” He compares it to England’s Euro final loss to Italy, where they scored early and then defended. “It’s happened again today.”

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Episode Intro & Housekeeping** - Chris Ryan fills in for Bill Simmons, previewing the episode's two topics: World Cup semifinals and Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'.
2 (03:47) **Ian Wright on England's Loss to Argentina** - Arsenal legend Ian Wright reacts to England's semifinal defeat, critiquing Tuchel's defensive strategy after taking the lead.
3 (10:07) **Messi's Game Intelligence and Argentina's Structure** - The conversation focuses on Messi's ability to adapt when tightly marked, dropping to the right wing to deliver crosses.
4 (15:07) **Building England Around Jude Bellingham** - Wright and Ryan discuss whether England's future should be built around Jude Bellingham as the central star, similar to Argentina's setup for Messi.
5 (22:03) **Argentina's Shithousery and the Final Preview** - The panel discusses Argentina's physical tactics to intimidate England and the mental battle it created, particularly for Jude Bellingham.
6 (35:34) **Anthony Dabbundo on England's Collapse** - Gambling analyst Anthony Dabbundo joins to analyze England's tactical failure, noting Tuchel abandoned his "play our way" promise to bunker.
7 (37:28) **Spain's Dominance Over France** - Dabbundo breaks down Spain's semifinal win, crediting their superior structure and possession against a more talented but poorly-coached French team.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Anthony Dabbundo Sean Fennessey Chris Ryan

Show Notes

In this special episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, guest host Chris Ryan is joined by Arsenal legend Ian Wright to react to Argentina defeating England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinals. Then, Anthony Dabbundo joins the pod to preview the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Finally, Sean Fennessey hops on to talk ‘The Odyssey’ and Christopher Nolan.

(0:00) Intro

(2:57) Argentina eliminates England, with Ian Wright

(34:47) World Cup final preview with Anthony Dabbundo

(55:21) Sean Fennessey on ‘The Odyssey’

Host: Chris Ryan

Guests: Ian Wright, Anthony Dabbundo, and Sean Fennessey

Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers

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