Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have launched a scathing attack on Thomas Tuchel following England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, accusing the manager of abandoning his attacking philosophy and making excuses.
England's Heartbreaking Semi-Final Loss
England were knocked out of the World Cup in the semi-finals on Wednesday in devastating fashion. Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead 55 minutes into the match, but Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes remaining. Lautaro Martinez then snatched victory for Argentina two minutes into stoppage time.
However, Tuchel has faced severe criticism for his tactics after England seized the lead early in the second half. Instead of pushing for a second goal, the team adopted a deep defensive line almost immediately, dropping into a low block and limiting their forward play as they endured relentless waves of Argentinian attacks.
Defensive Substitutions Under Fire
Tuchel's substitutions mirrored this cautious approach, at one stage fielding six defenders after introducing Nico O'Reilly, Dan Burn and Ezri Konsa from the bench. The manager did not make an attacking substitution until England were already trailing 2-1, when he summoned Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney in a desperate attempt to regain control. That strategy proved unsuccessful as England crashed out of the tournament.
Speaking after the match, Tuchel directed criticism towards his team's inability to retain possession. He told journalists: '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. 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.'
Richards Dismisses Tuchel's Excuses as 'Nonsense'
Those remarks have been branded 'nonsense' by Richards on the latest episode 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 Accuses Tuchel of Contradicting Himself
Lineker suggested that Tuchel had contradicted his pre-tournament pledge to embrace the England way and deliver thrilling, attacking football. 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 face France in a third-place play-off on Saturday, while Argentina take on Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
