England manager Thomas Tuchel defended his tactical decisions after the Three Lions’ World Cup campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.
England looked on course to reach their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon gave them the lead early in the second half in Atlanta. However, the defending champions fought back strongly, with Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scoring late to seal a dramatic comeback victory.
Speaking after the match, Tuchel admitted his side became too defensive after taking the lead.
“We’re disappointed. We were so close, but after scoring we became too passive and allowed them too many chances,” Tuchel told the BBC.
“We couldn’t keep possession, and they kept putting crosses into the box and creating shots. We were close, but we couldn’t maintain our level after going ahead.”
The England boss is expected to face questions over his substitutions, especially his decision to replace goalscorer Gordon with defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute.
Explaining the change, Tuchel said he wanted to give his team more defensive support.
“In previous matches, I made attacking substitutions. This time we were trying to help the players. We gave away a chance almost immediately, and the spaces at the back were too big, so we switched to a back five.
“Even before the substitutions, right after we scored, we were already conceding too many crosses and chances. We were trying to deal with that.”
When asked in the post-match press conference if he felt he had made tactical mistakes, Tuchel stood by his decisions.
“No. That’s football. When you lose, people criticise you. Nobody knows what would have happened if we’d made different decisions.
“I’m responsible for those decisions, and I’ll accept the criticism.”
Asked why England did not push for a second goal after taking the lead, Tuchel said his team simply struggled to regain control of the game.
“We wanted a second goal, but we couldn’t get hold of the ball. We couldn’t win it back or keep possession.
“I didn’t feel that making more attacking substitutions would have solved that. It wasn’t a tactical issue because we didn’t change our structure, but the game changed completely.”
Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February, keeping him in charge until the 2028 European Championship, which England will co-host.
When asked whether he expected to continue as England manager after the World Cup exit, Tuchel said he intends to see out his contract.
“We’ll keep going until the home Euros. Right now it’s difficult to think that far ahead, but that’s the plan,” he said.
