Joe Hart makes bold comment about Thomas Tuchel and England that surprises the rest of the BBC panel
Joe Hart shared some tough words about Thomas Tuchel after England’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.
England was ahead for most of the second half at Atlanta Stadium, thanks to Anthony Gordon’s smart goal from Morgan Rogers’ cross. But Argentina pushed through to their third World Cup final in four tournaments with two late goals by Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez.
England’s defense worked hard to stop many crosses after taking the lead, but Tuchel’s team mostly played safe in the second half. He made changes like bringing on Ezri Konsa for Gordon, Dan Burn for Reece James, and Nico O’Reilly for Declan Rice, which looked like he wanted to protect the lead—something that didn’t work out.
After conceding twice, Tuchel finally brought on attackers Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney, but it was too late to change the score. Argentina will face Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
England will play France for the bronze medal in Miami on July 18.
Right after the game, many experts were disappointed with England’s performance. Wayne Rooney, working for the BBC, said: “We were in a great spot, but then we didn’t know what to do. We sat back and let them take control. They made chances, and then we gave in. Really disappointing.”
Rooney also said, “These fans spent a lot to be here. I expected more. Argentina are world champions—we knew they’d be tough. Our changes didn’t help. Sometimes you need luck to win these big tournaments.”
Alan Shearer agreed, saying he thought “the better team won.” He added, “You have to be honest. Argentina fought back hard, hit the post a few times. England got lucky early on. But Argentina stuck to their plan and believed in themselves. Their substitutions worked. You have to respect their comeback. They deserve to be in the final, even if it hurts to say that.”
Joe Hart had perhaps the strongest opinion. He suggested Tuchel didn’t really believe his team could score again. Hart told the BBC: “Gareth Southgate got a lot of criticism for holding a lead in big games, but nothing has really changed here. Tuchel’s early changes showed he didn’t believe in his team, that they couldn’t land any more punches on Argentina.”