Thomas Tuchel has been subjected to a brutal inquest after England’s World Cup dream ended with a devastating late collapse against Argentina. The Three Lions were just five minutes away from reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon put them ahead in Atlanta, only for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez to turn the semi-final on its head.
England had appeared to be in control following Gordon’s 55th-minute opener, but Tuchel’s decision to withdraw attacking players, switch to a back five and attempt to protect the slender advantage spectacularly backfired. Fernandez fired Argentina level from outside the penalty area in the 85th minute before Martinez headed home Lionel Messi’s cross in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory and a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.
Tuchel branded a coward
Tuchel defended his changes after the final whistle, insisting England had already become too passive and were struggling to deal with Argentina’s crosses. But that explanation has done little to quieten the criticism, with newspapers and former England internationals laying the blame firmly at the manager’s door.
The i Paper delivered perhaps the most explosive assessment, accusing Tuchel of “pure football cowardice” and claiming the manager had personally cost England a place in the World Cup final. Miguel Delaney wrote that England had “ceded the initiative, ceded the pitch, ceded the space around their box and – finally – ceded the game”. The decision to move to a five-man defence shortly after the second-half hydration break was described as one of the most baffling moments in England’s football history.
The report said: “England somehow lose a place in the World Cup final, because Thomas Tuchel loses his bottle.” It added that the defeat felt even more needless than previous tournament exits because England had taken the lead and possessed the pace and athleticism to trouble Argentina. Instead, the substitutions removed England’s attacking threat and allowed Messi to operate in increasingly dangerous areas. “Is this sackable?” the report asked. “All that money… for this?”
Mirror: Tuchel has no one to blame but himself
The Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross also held Tuchel responsible, declaring that England’s manager had “no-one else this time to blame but himself”. Cross said England “lost their bottle” after Gordon’s goal and attempted to barricade their own penalty area rather than continuing to attack. “Thomas Tuchel got it wrong,” he wrote. “He invited the pressure on. It was unsustainable. Sure enough, England cracked.”
The Mirror argued that Argentina showed greater courage and mentality in the closing stages, while England were left without sufficient attacking players to respond after Fernandez equalised. The introduction of Dan Burn and other defensive players left England desperately attempting to survive against Messi and the reigning world champions. “They were in charge when Gordon scored – so why change it?” Cross asked. “Tuchel sadly has no-one else this time to blame but himself. The manager took the team to within touching distance – and then blew it.”
Carragher: Tuchel was the game-changer – for Argentina
Jamie Carragher delivered another damning verdict in The Telegraph, saying Tuchel had indeed become the “game-changer” England appointed him to be – but not in the way the FA had intended. Carragher argued that the manager’s substitutions and formation change were the biggest factors in England’s defeat. He said England had been the better side for 72 minutes but retreated once Tuchel switched to a back five.
Carragher pointed out that England were reduced to just 12 per cent possession between taking the lead and Argentina’s equaliser, describing the decision to enter survival mode so early as unsustainable. “Once England went to five at the back, it backfired,” he wrote. “The incessant shift towards Jordan Pickford’s goal became too much.” The former Liverpool defender said the removal of Gordon and Reece James also damaged England’s ability to defend Argentina’s short corners and restricted any potential route out of defence. By the time Fernandez equalised, England had too many defenders on the pitch and no obvious way of moving back up the field. “Tuchel was now in a tactical cul-de-sac,” Carragher added.
While maintaining that Tuchel remains a world-class coach, Carragher said the defeat should force a reassessment of the frequent criticism aimed at Gareth Southgate. Tuchel had been appointed to provide the extra tactical edge Southgate was perceived to lack, but ultimately suffered an agonisingly familiar fate.
Madness or rank stupidity
Oliver Holt’s column for the Daily Mail was similarly savage, placing England’s latest defeat alongside the country’s most painful World Cup memories. Holt compared Fernandez’s equaliser and Martinez’s winner with Diego Maradona’s Hand of God in 1986 and David Beckham’s red card against Argentina in 1998. He argued that England had once again found a way to become the “punchlines for someone else’s jokes”.
The strongest criticism was reserved for Tuchel, who Holt claimed had “shrunk” when England were on the brink of the final. “A master tactician? Not on this evidence,” he wrote. “When England scored, England simply sat back and ceded their opponents the momentum. Opponents who have Messi playing at number 10. That’s not a master tactician. That is either madness or rank stupidity.” Holt said Tuchel had been employed to take England further than Southgate but had failed at the defining moment. The victories over Mexico and Norway had produced some of England’s greatest tournament memories, but their value had been diminished by the manner of the semi-final defeat.
A coaching catastrophe
Former England striker Chris Sutton branded Tuchel’s management a “coaching catastrophe” during BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage. England had demonstrated resilience throughout the tournament, coming from behind against DR Congo and Norway, but Sutton said trying to protect a lead for more than half an hour against Argentina was a serious error. “The fact that England got themselves in front and then basically handed Argentina the initiative... that was a coaching catastrophe from Thomas Tuchel,” he said. “You can’t expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had. It’s all on the coach where I am 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?’”
Alan Shearer said Tuchel had “played his cards very, very early” and admitted the decision had backfired. Shearer later wrote on social media: “Best team won. The changes left us without an out ball. We had six defenders on with 25 mins left. Frustrating.”
Rooney: England were asking for trouble
Wayne Rooney led the criticism from the BBC television studio, saying England had stopped doing the things that had put them in such a strong position. The former England captain said the players appeared unsure how to manage the game once they had taken the lead. “We got ourselves in such a good position and we didn’t know what to do,” Rooney said. “We sat back, allowed them to come on to us. They put us under pressure and we cracked. As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they’d get the second. When you go on top, you have to stay on top. We go 1-0 up, then sit back, make changes, go five or six at the back. If you allow Messi and Argentina to come onto you, you’re asking for trouble.”
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said Tuchel’s decisions suggested he did not believe his players could continue hurting Argentina. Micah Richards added: “Thomas Tuchel was brought in to be the difference. Tactically, we all thought he got it wrong today.” Michael Owen contrasted England’s approach with Spain’s game management during their semi-final victory, arguing that true courage was keeping possession under pressure rather than filling the team with defenders. “We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind,” Owen said. “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?”
Tuchel defends his decisions
Tuchel accepted responsibility after the defeat but insisted the changes had been made because England were already struggling. “We conceded a chance straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open,” he explained. “They won every header, they kept crossing and crossing, so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air. Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances, so we tried to help. Of course, the responsibility is on the coach and, if it doesn’t go well, it is easy to say it was wrong.”
England captain Harry Kane also admitted his side had been unable to place sufficient pressure on the ball during Argentina’s late onslaught. “After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man for man, it was just wave after wave,” Kane said. “Lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.” England will now contest the third-place play-off while Argentina prepare to face Spain in New Jersey. For Tuchel, however, the fallout from one of England’s most painful defeats has only just begun.
