Tuchel defends tactics after Argentina send England packing from World Cup

England manager Tuchel swapped Reece James for Dan Burn, and Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly successful the 82nd minute.

England desperately wanted to support its pb arsenic clip was winding down successful the World Cup semifinals, and manager Thomas Tuchel made lineup and strategy changes to physique a partition successful beforehand of the goal.

Argentina and Lionel Messi simply kicked it down.

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England led 1-0 precocious successful the 2nd fractional earlier Messi assisted connected goals by Enzo Fernandez successful the 85th infinitesimal and Lautaro Martinez successful the 2nd infinitesimal of wounded clip to springiness Argentina a chaotic 2-1 victory connected Wednesday – and a spot successful the World Cup last against Spain.

Tuchel’s tactical choices successful 1 of the biggest matchups successful 1 of football’s biggest rivalries volition apt beryllium scrutinised and criticised for years. England missed its accidental to instrumentality to the World Cup last for the archetypal clip since 1966.

“They won each header. They kept crossing and crossing. So we went to a backmost 5 to adjacent the gaps wrong and beryllium stronger successful the air,” Tuchel said.

“Straight aft our goal, with nary substitutions, we conscionable conceded mode excessively galore crosses and mode excessively galore chances. So we tried to help,” Tuchel said.

“But of people the work is connected the coach. And… if it doesn’t spell well, it’s casual to accidental that it was wrong.”

Tuchel’s chess moves conscionable could not incorporate Messi, the maestro of Argentina’s attacks.

England’s nonaccomplishment marked lone the 2nd clip this period that the squad that scored archetypal successful a World Cup semifinal lucifer did not scope the final, according to Opta. The different squad was besides England successful 2018 against Croatia.

England took the pb connected Anthony Gordon’s extremity successful the 55th infinitesimal connected Wednesday. But Argentina rapidly switched the momentum with furious unit connected England’s defence.

To support the lead, England drew person and person to its ain goal, hoping to physique the benignant of impenetrable partition it had erstwhile it held connected to bushed Mexico successful the circular of 16 contempt being down to 10 players.

Tuchel swapped defender Reece James for Dan Burn, and midfielder Declan Rice for defender Nico O’Reilly successful the 82nd minute.

England manager Thomas Tuchel speaks to Morgan Rogers arsenic Nico O’Reilly stands connected the touchline to substitute during the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal betwixt England and Argentina astatine Atlanta Stadium connected July 15, 2026, successful Atlanta, Georgia [Richard Pelham/Getty Images/AFP]

“We played a bully crippled for the ample bulk of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to conscionable effort and clasp on, which astatine this level is not enough,” England striker Harry Kane said.

“Just gutted, gutted. Because we’ve worked truthful hard to get here.”

Fernandez struck hardly 3 minutes aft the England substitutions, scoring connected a precision right-footed onslaught from conscionable extracurricular the punishment area. Messi acceptable up the play with a walk to his teammate’s feet, and England defenders failed to adjacent him down earlier helium ripped the changeable that curled past diving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Argentina kept coming, and England’s partition kept crumbling. The defending champions deed the crossbar and missed different header crossed the rima of the extremity earlier Martinez yet sealed it with a almighty close-range header erstwhile England defenders mislaid him connected a transverse from Messi.

“They got tired,” Martinez said. “They pressed for 60 minutes and past conscionable ran retired of steam. They got their extremity and past sat back. That gave america much composure to determination the shot astir and agelong the pitch.”