The Football Association has confirmed Thomas Tuchel will remain as England manager until after Euro 2028, despite the Three Lions' heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Chief executive Mark Bullingham is backing the German coach, according to reports.
Tuchel Under Fire After Defeat
England took the lead through Anthony Gordon's first-half goal but then dropped deep, allowing Argentina to dominate. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored to turn the game around, sparking fierce criticism of Tuchel's tactics. Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described it as a 'coaching catastrophe' on BBC Radio 5 Live.
'The fact that England get themselves in front and then basically hand Argentina the initiative. Defending deep and another defender on, it's quite a simple game football, you have to get up the pitch,' Sutton said. 'You can't expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had. It's all on the coach where I'm concerned. He made the changes. He was negative, so the question which I'm going to ask is: how can you trust Thomas Tuchel to take this team forward?'
World Cup Winners Criticise Tactics
Ex-Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas branded England's approach as 'cowardly' on social media. 'They score the goal and drop back. A cowardly approach. They haven't ventured out of their own half and have allowed Argentina to push forward more. The inevitable happens,' he posted. Germany's 2014 World Cup winner Thomas Muller also expressed disbelief: 'I cannot believe and understand how England approached this game after they're leading. I cannot understand how they invited Argentina to play one cross after the other in perfect crossing positions.'
Tuchel Stands by His Decisions
Despite the backlash, Tuchel showed no regret over his tactics. 'You can discuss this with a million coaches, but I have to make a decision on the pitch,' he said after the match. 'I analysed the match and I did it a certain way so that's my responsibility. In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0. We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn't get over the line but no regrets.'
Contract Extension Secures Future
Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February 2026, keeping him in charge until after the European Championships in 2028, which England will host. The FA's decision to retain him signals long-term faith despite the semi-final disappointment.
