Thomas Tuchel has insisted he has “no regrets” over his defensive substitutions that contributed to England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final. The Three Lions led through Anthony Gordon’s goal but conceded two late strikes, with Enzo Fernandez equalising before a second goal sealed Argentina’s victory.
Tuchel Defends Changes as England Collapse
Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly were all introduced in the final 18 minutes. After Gordon’s opener, England had just 12 per cent possession before Fernandez’s equaliser. When asked if his changes put his team under extra pressure, Tuchel said: “You can discuss this with a million coaches but I have to make a decision on the pitch. I analysed the match and I did it a certain way so that’s my responsibility. In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0.”
He added: “We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line but no regrets. I think we saw the mentality throughout the match and the strong group. We played the matches how they were, we played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle. We were very close today. It’s not the moment to analyse the full tournament, we just went out because we lost a crucial match.”
Scaloni: We Smelt Blood as England Dropped Deep
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni admitted his side sensed England’s vulnerability as they dropped deeper to defend their box. He said: “We smelt blood in the water. When you see there’s a vacuum sucking the ball in, you just have to keep going for it. What happened against Egypt was special but this was special, this was beyond that. We’re a little concerned about what’s happening with the final, everyone has to rest. Everything that you do here is under inspection and analysis, everyone has to celebrate, these are our very few moments where we can truly be joyful. Tomorrow we will think about what’s next.”
England’s defeat extends their wait for a World Cup title, while Argentina advance to the final. Tuchel’s tactical decisions will be scrutinised as the team heads home.
