2026 World Cup: Thomas Tuchel's "England DNA comments" were "alarming"

Ahead of England's 2026 World Cup third-placed playoff against France, Sports Mole's Site Coordinator Ben Knapton discusses the Three Lions' exit successful the semi-finals.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: "It was perfectly gut-wrenching"

It was perfectly gut-wrenching. The mode of the decision reminded maine of Arsenal's nonaccomplishment to PSG successful the Champions League final. 

That's a crippled I didn't expect america to triumph - same with England. I thought Argentina were going to win, but to suffer it successful that mode was gut-wrenching and soul-destroying. 

It was inevitable. Ever since that archetypal Pickford prevention from Nico Gonzalez's header, you could spot Argentina were going to travel backmost - this is what they do. 

We were inviting truthful overmuch pressure. We utilized the aforesaid tactics against Mexico and Norway. 

Fair enough, it worked against those teams, but wherefore would it enactment when you're facing the top subordinate of each time, successful the sentiment of 3 of us, and the champion attacking squad astatine the World Cup? 

I besides talked up the carnal vantage England would have, particularly defending aerial balls and acceptable pieces, successful our preview. 

But it seemed Argentina got archetypal interaction to each azygous transverse and acceptable piece. Lautaro Martinez, 5'9" - the aforesaid tallness arsenic maine - shouldn't be winning that header. The marking for that was appalling. 

The antagonistic attack that Southgate was ever lambasted for: if helium had taken complaint of that game, each azygous idiosyncratic would beryllium calling for his head. 

A batch of radical are calling for Tuchel to spell arsenic well, but you tin ideate if that was Southgate, the implicit national furore that would person emanated from that game. Just 12% possession successful those past 30 minutes. 

There's such a fearfulness origin for England erstwhile it comes to facing these large teams - this was the seventh clip since '98 that we'd faced a apical 10 ranked federation successful the World Cup, and we've lost each 7 of them. 

Dan Burn was brought connected and played mainly as a striker; his vigor representation showed him successful the last third. He was brought connected erstwhile England were 1-0 up, Argentina equalised astir 3 minutes later, and he wasn't really there to support the box. 

He was brought connected arsenic an exigency centre-forward, and it's just baffling. Cape Verde and Egypt some scored doubly against Argentina - their defence is fishy successful the wide areas. 

We saw Rogers from 1 broadside and Gordon connected the other: our wide threat, their wide weakness. We talked those up earlier the game; we exposed them once, wherefore didn't we conscionable spell for it again? 

Even if we had inactive lost, it's much more preferable to suffer going for it, alternatively than losing successful the mode we did. In that moment, each azygous idiosyncratic watching the crippled could spot what was coming, isolated from Thomas Tuchel. 

Some of his post-match comments were besides rather worrying - helium said it wasn't really successful the England DNA to power the ball, and that was alarming. 

It should beryllium successful England's DNA. We maybe don't have a passing individuality like Spain, or can't dominate successful the aforesaid mode that Argentina have at this World Cup, but England are a apical 4 ranked nation. It should beryllium successful their DNA to power the shot and power games. 

Vote successful the Sports Mole World Cup 2026 Readers’ Awards!

Cast your votes for the 2026 World Cup awards; from subordinate of the tourney and breakout star, to champion attacker and biggest disappointment.

Voting volition beryllium unfastened until 11pm UK clip connected Monday, July 20, and the winners announced connected Tuesday, July 21!