Marc Guehi has questioned Thomas Tuchel's much-criticised tactics after England crashed out of the World Cup against Argentina on Wednesday night. The Three Lions saw their World Cup dream end devastatingly when La Albiceleste came from behind to win 2-1, booking their place in another final against Spain on Sunday.
England's collapse after taking the lead
Anthony Gordon gave England the lead after 55 minutes, latching onto Morgan Rogers' cross to score from close range. However, England wilted under pressure, inviting Argentina to attack. Two late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez punished the Three Lions, sending the defending world champions through. In the 37 minutes between Gordon's goal and Martinez's 92nd-minute winner, England had just 12 per cent possession.
Tuchel's substitutions were widely condemned in the aftermath of another World Cup failure. Gordon was replaced by defender Ezri Konsa after 72 minutes, with two more defenders—Nico O'Reilly and Dan Burn—introduced 10 minutes later. Tuchel did throw on Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney after Argentina had taken the lead, but it was too little, too late.
Guehi: 'We should have carried on pushing'
Centre-half Guehi suggested he did not agree with the manager's defensive approach. 'Once we went 1-0 up we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is just not enough, so I'm gutted,' Guehi said, according to BBC Sport. 'We should have carried on. We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and then the mentality was go back, defend.'
Asked if he believes the group has enough to end their long wait for silverware, with Euro 2028 their next target, the Manchester City defender added: 'I don't know. It's hard to think about the future right now, at this moment it is just disappointment.'
Tuchel defends his approach
Tuchel was defensive of his approach when he spoke at full-time. 'We decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open,' Tuchel told BBC Sport post-match. 'They won every header, they kept crossing and crossing. So we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be stronger in the air. Straight after our goal with no substitution, we just conceded way too many crosses and chances. We tried to help, but of course the responsibility is on the coach; if it doesn't go well, it's easy to say it was wrong.'
Asked if England should have instead pushed for a second goal, he responded: 'Yeah, but it doesn't help if you don't have the ball. Of course we wanted to go for the second goal, but I didn't have the feeling that an offensive substitution would help. We stayed in our 4-4-2, but became more and more passive. We couldn't win any balls, couldn't keep the ball. So I think it was not a structural problem. We changed nothing after a goal, but the match changed completely.'
Wayne Rooney led the post-match criticism of Tuchel's approach, with many fans and pundits questioning the decision to sit back after taking the lead. England's World Cup exit marks another chapter of disappointment for the Three Lions, who have not won a major trophy since 1966.
