Thomas Tuchel arrived as England manager with one clear goal and it was to lead the Three Lions to their first World Cup title since 1966.
After years of falling just short, many believed Tuchel was the coach who could finally help England win a major trophy.
His predecessor, Gareth Southgate, guided England to two major finals, a World Cup semi-final and a World Cup quarter-final. However, his teams often came under criticism for becoming too defensive after taking the lead and failing to adjust when the tempo of the matches shifted against them.
Tuchel, widely respected for his tactical ability after leading Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League title in 2021, was expected to bring a different approach.
But England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final followed a familiar pattern.
After Anthony Gordon gave England the lead early in the second half, the team struggled to keep possession and allowed Argentina to dominate the closing stages. Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time.
It was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England have lost a major tournament semi-final or final after taking the lead.
Many fans, pundits and former players questioned Tuchel’s tactical decisions, especially his defensive substitutions after England went 1-0 up.
Former England striker Michael Owen felt England had missed a golden opportunity.
“We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt about that. But we deserved to lose. It could even have finished 4-1,” Owen wrote on X.
He also criticised Tuchel for bringing on three defenders while leading.
“What message does that send? Until we learn that bravery means keeping possession under pressure instead of simply clearing the ball, this will keep happening.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart also compared the defeat to similar matches under Southgate.
“Gareth Southgate will probably be watching this thinking nothing has changed,” Hart said on the BBC.
“Southgate was criticised for shutting up shop after taking the lead, and that’s exactly what happened again.”
Tuchel, however, defended his decisions after the match.
He said Argentina had already started taking control before he made the substitutions and insisted the changes were meant to help the team deal with the pressure.
When asked if he regretted his tactics, Tuchel said he did not.
“No. That’s football. As soon as 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.”
England captain Harry Kane admitted the team became too cautious after taking the lead but refused to blame Tuchel.
“We probably tried to hold on a little too early,” Kane said.
“People will always look to blame the coach after a defeat, but this isn’t the time for that. We win together and we lose together.
“If it had worked, everyone would have called him a genius. It didn’t work for several reasons.
“We’re close. We keep getting into these big moments, but we still need to find that final piece of the puzzle.”
