Former England star Joe Cole has admitted he was never comfortable with a German managing the Three Lions, as Thomas Tuchel faces criticism after England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Tuchel's decision to replace attacking players with defenders after taking the lead backfired, with Argentina scoring twice in the final minutes to win.
Cole's criticism of Tuchel's tactics
Cole, who won 56 caps for England, praised Tuchel's abilities but questioned his suitability for the role. 'I loved Thomas Tuchel as a Chelsea manager and what he did, I think he's brilliant,' Cole said on The Rest Is Football. 'I was never comfortable with a German managing England. I think we're England, right? I think we should be able to have an Englishman managing England. I just feel that should be something that we look at. I think it's okay for some of the smaller nations to bring in someone else to help them develop.'
Tuchel's contract extension questioned
Tuchel was initially brought in on a contract until this summer, but it was extended until 2028 earlier this year. Cole believes this was a mistake, as Tuchel has not delivered what he was hired for. 'I love Thomas and he was brought in for that moment, when we're at the back end of a tournament to be the difference, to make the right decisions at the big times,' said Cole. 'With that, it was madness to give him the two-year extension to his contract when he hasn't delivered what he was brought in for. Gareth [Southgate] was seen to be someone who could get us close but not get us over the line, and he was brought in to be the person who makes big decisions in big moments. He got it right in Mexico, we beat Norway, today was a day he needed to make big decisions and he didn't do it.'
Match details
England took the lead through Anthony Gordon on 55 minutes, but then retreated, with Tuchel replacing attacking threats with defenders. Argentina capitalised, with Enzo Fernandez equalising from 20 yards on 85 minutes and Lautaro Martinez heading in a Lionel Messi cross in stoppage time. The defending champions now face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, while England play France in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
Tuchel defends his decisions
Tuchel defended his substitutions, saying he wanted a back five to close gaps against Argentina's four attackers. 'I thought we were the better team until we scored, but the mindset shifted, they took a lot of risk and played with a lot of quality,' the manager told ITV. 'I take the responsibility for the substitutions. It's easy to be a coach after the game and tell the story from the result. No one can prove what would have happened with other substitutions. I thought we needed a back five to close the gaps for all the crossing. They played with two wide wingers and two strikers so they had four players in the last line, so it made sense to me to have five players in the last line. but we didn't stop the second line from coming through the gaps. We were not physical enough in these moments. Anyway, it's not a matter of structure, you can play in any structure, but we got too passive and got punished for that.'
