Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen have pointed the finger of blame at Thomas Tuchel after England's World Cup semi-final exit, claiming his substitutions cost the team a golden opportunity to reach the final for the first time in 60 years. The Three Lions lost 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta after taking a 55th-minute lead through Anthony Gordon.
Gordon, a former Everton winger, scored his first World Cup goal to put England ahead. However, Tuchel replaced him with Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute. Ten minutes later, two more defenders—Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly and Newcastle United's Dan Burn—were introduced as England sought to protect their lead.
By that stage, Argentina had already begun to dominate. Captain Lionel Messi, operating from a new position on the right, caused havoc. The holders scored twice in eight minutes through Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez (85th minute) and Inter striker Lautaro Martinez (92nd minute).
Rooney's Verdict: A Gamble That Backfired
Speaking on BBC One, Rooney expressed his disappointment: "You can't go a goal up and then surrender. Surrender the ball and surrender any opportunity of trying to get the second goal. You want to be on the front foot when the pressure is on Argentina to get back in the game."
He added: "If you’re on that pitch, go 1-0 up and then see the changes the manager is making…you are losing belief. There's only so many times you can get away with it. You start thinking: 'We're going to sit back, how are we going to get through this?'"
Rooney criticized Tuchel's decision to switch to a five-man defense: "The gamble he made was to go with five at the back, which allowed them to dictate the game. The decisions Thomas Tuchel made, we have to be honest, have cost us tonight."
Owen Highlights Lack of Courage
A damning statistic emerged after the semi-final: England had just 12% possession between Gordon's opener and Martinez's winner. Former Liverpool forward Michael Owen took to X to deliver his verdict: "Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That’s courage. That’s bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What’s the difference?"
Owen continued: "We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind. But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1. Bringing on three defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send?"
He referenced his earlier column: "I wrote it in my Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result."
Impact and Aftermath
Fans took to social media to question Tuchel's in-game management, which had been praised earlier in the tournament. Tuchel was brought in to lead England to glory after predecessor Gareth Southgate lost two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final.
Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday's final, after Spain beat France 2-0 in Dallas. England, for whom Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made two superb second-half saves before Fernandez's equalizer, will now face France in Saturday's third-placed match.
