The Football Association are facing calls to dismiss Thomas Tuchel after England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Tuchel was appointed to elevate the national team following several near-misses under predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, who led England to back-to-back European Championship finals, a World Cup semi-final in 2018, and a quarter-final in 2022.
England's World Cup campaign ends in heartbreak
Spirited knockout victories over Mexico and Norway suggested England could make history at this World Cup, but the semi-final against Argentina followed a familiar pattern. Tuchel's side took the lead through Anthony Gordon's second-half goal but then retreated, a tactic that had worked in previous matches. However, Argentina's attacking quality, led by Lionel Messi, proved too much. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martinez headed home an injury-time winner to send Argentina to the final.
Pundits criticise Tuchel's defensive approach
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara accused Tuchel of 'bottling it' and called for his immediate sacking. 'Those goals were coming, they were coming for 15 minutes after we scored,' O'Hara told talkSPORT. 'You can't play like that against Argentina. It's a terrible decision from Thomas Tuchel. We retreated way too early. This is what Thomas Tuchel was brought in for, and now we're out. It's a sackable offence. Sack him, sack him, sack him now!'
Ex-England striker Chris Sutton also criticised Tuchel on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'There certainly needs to be questions asked about Thomas Tuchel. He was so super negative when he should've been positive. He could've been more positive with his substitutions. You had Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford on the bench. Why not take Harry Kane off when he was looking like a passenger? He's got a lot of questions to answer.'
Tuchel's contract and reaction
Tuchel signed a contract extension in February to remain in charge until Euro 2028. After the match, he admitted: 'We're disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances. We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots.'
Next England manager odds
If the FA decide to sack Tuchel, legendary former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the favourite at 11/4 according to BetVictor. Newcastle United's Eddie Howe, heavily linked before Tuchel's appointment, is second at 5/1, followed by former interim boss Lee Carsley at 6/1. Other contenders include Mauricio Pochettino (8/1), Frank Lampard (14/1), Graham Potter (16/1), Carlo Ancelotti (16/1), Kieran McKenna (20/1), Steven Gerrard (20/1), and Unai Emery (25/1).
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final after Spain beat tournament favourites France. Argentina are defending champions, having won in 2022, while Spain seek their second World Cup after 2010.
