Thomas Tuchel was hired to win semi-finals - instead he produced tactical disaster
Thomas Tuchel was brought to England with one clear mandate: to win the World Cup. Instead, the German manager presided over a tactical disaster that will haunt his tenure as the Three Lions crashed out of the semi-finals to Argentina 2-1 in Atlanta.
England appeared to be in control when Anthony Gordon gave them the lead in the 55th minute. What followed was a defensive masterclass in self-sabotage. In the second half, England managed just 12 per cent possession as they retreated deeper and deeper into their own half. Enzo Fernandez equalized in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez struck the winner in stoppage time, leaving England with their 60-year wait for a major international trophy intact.
The catalyst for England's collapse came through Tuchel's substitutions. Rather than introducing attacking talent to capitalize on their advantage, he reinforced the back line with defenders Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly, shifting to a 5-4-1 formation. Only after Fernandez's equalizer did Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney appear. The tactical retreat left several England players bewildered. From tactical tweaks to substitutions, he could not have done more wrong after taking the lead.
Tuchel defended his approach, stating he tried to make the team "more active to be quicker out to the wingers" but acknowledged they "got too passive within our structure." He later suggested possession control might "not be in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA."
This echoed criticisms levelled at his predecessor Gareth Southgate, who similarly retreated after taking leads in major tournaments. One defender stated: "We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and then the mentality was go back defend."
Despite the backlash, the Football Association indicated it would conduct a review but remains largely supportive, with Tuchel insisting he remains "100 percent" the man to lead England forward. He has two years remaining on his £5 million annual contract through Euro 2028.