Gary Lineker has accused Thomas Tuchel of going back on his word after England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, while Micah Richards branded the head coach's explanation for the loss as 'nonsense.'
England's Devastating Exit
The Three Lions were knocked out of the tournament on Wednesday evening in the cruellest of fashions, with a late Argentina resurgence cancelling out Anthony Gordon's 55th-minute strike. Enzo Fernandez equalised from the edge of the area with just five minutes left to play, before Lautaro Martinez stole the game with a towering header two minutes into stoppage time.
However, Tuchel has come under harsh criticism for his approach after England took the lead early into the second-half. Rather than chasing another goal, the Three Lions risked it all by setting up in a low block almost instantly after going a goal up.
Defensive Setup Draws Fire
The team set up in a low block and restricted their attacking output, as they faced wave after wave of Argentinian pressure. Tuchel's changes also reflected the approach, at one point having six defenders on the pitch after introducing Nico O'Reilly, Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa to the fold as substitutes.
Tuchel, in fact, didn't make an attacking change until it was too late, bringing on Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney when England were 2-1 down to try and get a hold on the match once more. That ultimately failed, as England were eliminated from the tournament.
Tuchel's Post-Match Comments
Speaking after the match, Tuchel pointed the finger of blame toward an inability to retain possession, telling the media: 'I think ball possession plays a crucial role. It's maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish, Argentinian or Brazilian DNA. To take the ball and control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem. But like in every structure, it was important to stay active and push out and fight duels... we just couldn't.'
'I think in this moment my feeling is that no structure in the world could have helped us because we were too passive. We were not physical enough. We didn't stop runs arriving in our box and the deliveries were then too good. Right after our goal, the momentum swings completely in ball possession and chances and it drops dramatically.'
'We got too passive within our structure. I tried to help, not to become more passive with a back five, but to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, not to open up the gaps between the back four. We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active within the structure, but we just struggled. We needed to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back.'
Richards Dubs Excuses 'Nonsense'
However, that statement was dubbed 'nonsense' by Richards in the most recent instalment of The Rest Is Football. He said: 'Those quotes are nonsense, aren't they? And I've been talking and singing the praises of Tuchel all tournament. I basically said he's been very brave, we were talking about, 'He should have took Cole Palmer, should have took [Phil] Foden, should have took Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. I like the fact that he doesn't listen to anyone, and he's direct in what he wants to do.'
'But then you hear these quotes and he says you've got no-one who can get on the ball and control the game. Well, Cole Palmer can do that, Foden can do that and Trent can do that. Kobbie Mainoo can do that, [Adam] Wharton can do that. So I feel as though he's passing the blame when he should just be taking responsibility.'
Lineker Highlights Hypocrisy
Lineker, meanwhile, opined that Tuchel had been a little hypocritical with his mantra of playing the England way and bringing exciting, attacking football to the table at this summer's tournament before making a major U-turn. The 65-year-old said: 'His whole thing before the tournament... 'If we're going to lose, we're going to lose our way. We play aggressive football, we're going to play attacking football.' And then he went completely against everything that he said.'
England will now play France in a third-place play-off on Saturday, while Argentina will battle Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
