England players were left ‘shocked’ by Thomas Tuchel’s decision against Argentina, says surprising new report
A new report has shared that some England players were surprised by Thomas Tuchel’s tactics, especially his defensive changes, during their World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.
The main story from England’s exit was their struggle in the final part of the game against Argentina. Between the 55th and 92nd minutes, England only had 12% possession—the lowest for a team leading for at least 10 minutes in a World Cup match in 60 years.
Many feel Tuchel was to blame for going very defensive after Anthony Gordon scored to give England the lead at 55 minutes. Argentina, on the other hand, made several attacking changes, while Tuchel took Gordon off, brought in Ezri Konsa, and switched to a back-five formation. This move didn’t work out well for England.
Later, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly came on at the 82nd minute to help defend the lead, but Argentina took control. Lionel Messi led their attack, and Enzo Fernandez scored a long-range equalizer. Then substitute Lautaro Martinez headed in a winner at the 92nd minute to send Argentina to the final.
England were left disappointed, especially since they were in a good position when Gordon scored after some great wing play from Morgan Rogers.
On Thursday, The Telegraph reported that some England players were “stunned” by Tuchel’s decision to bring on Konsa, O’Reilly, and Burn to protect their slim lead. There was a feeling in the team that Argentina could be beaten after Gordon’s goal.
The squad also thought they could attack on the counter, as faster players like Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke stayed on the bench, and Marcus Rashford only came on late in stoppage time.
Lautaro Martínez, who scored the winning goal, talked about England’s defensive move. He said, “England pressed hard for about 60 minutes. After scoring, they dropped back, and that gave us more control to move the ball and find chances. In the end, we scored two goals.”
England’s Marc Guehi also admitted they should have kept attacking after going 1-0 up. He said, “We should have carried on pushing. It felt like once we scored, the mindset was to defend.”
When asked about his substitutions, Tuchel stood by his choices. He said, “That’s just how the game goes. When you lose, you get criticized. No one knows what would’ve happened if we made different moves. I’m responsible for my decisions, and I accept the criticism. That’s how it is.”