Thomas Tuchel has come out swinging following England’s disappointing exit from the World Cup on Wednesday night. The Three Lions boss has questioned the nation’s footballing DNA after his side surrendered a lead against Argentina in the dying embers of the last-four clash.
England took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but everything from that point on was downhill. The 1966 winners retreated and surrendered space to their Argentine opponents, who, with the help of Lionel Messi, asserted control over the tie.
By the time the 92nd-minute winner arrived, England had spent the last half an hour camped inside their own 12-yard box and had nothing else left to give. The approach was widely criticised by England fans, with many pointing towards Tuchel’s defensive substitutions as a key contributor to the loss.
However, according to a report by The Telegraph, Tuchel and his coaching team didn’t instruct the players to drop off, instead, issuing a two-word plea as the constant Argentine attacks continued. It’s said that Tuchel told the substitutes to “play higher”, in a bid to win the ball back in Argentina’s half and create more opportunities on the counter.
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Alas, that didn’t happen and Argentina worked their way back into the game, before eventually sealing a spot in Sunday’s final. The finger-pointing looks set to continue, with contrasting reports claiming members of the England squad were gobsmacked at Tuchel’s request for England to shut up shop and play for the 1-0 lead.
Tuchel is said to have the full backing of the FA and is set to manage the side for the home Euros in two years’ time. The ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager will be hoping to see a change of mentality from his players, having said on Thursday: "In this moment my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us.
"Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough, we didn't stop runners arriving in our box and the deliveries were wrong too. I haven't seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically. We couldn't find any duels anymore; that's why we dropped deeper and deeper. It was never the plan, but it happened.”
England’s first match after the World Cup could be against the world champions, with Spain up next in the Nations League. Tuchel and co. have been drawn into a group with Spain, Croatia and Czechia.