Tuchel defends fatal World Cup semi-final decision that cost England

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FT Desk

At one point during England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, the Three Lions were looking fairly comfortable.

Thomas Tuchel's side looked in control of the game and of their emotions in the first half as the game went into the break at 0-0. Ten minutes after the break, they received the vital breakthrough when Anthony Gordon scored to make it 1-0.

As the match progressed, England became more and more conservative in their approach, in the same manner that led previous head coach Gareth Southgate to court criticism at major tournaments.

Argentina could smell blood and sent wave after wave of attacks towards the England goal.

Tuchel looked to combat the onslaught and brought on defenders Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly and Dan Burn. O'Reilly was deployed in midfield but is undoubtedly still a defensive player. The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers were left exhausted from their defensive work and couldn't take England up the pitch.

Enzo Fernandez scored in the 85th minute to equalise for Argentina, while Lautaro Martinez struck the remarkable winner two minutes into injury time.

Tuchel, looking back on those defensive changes, does not regret them but thinks he made them too early.

"You can try to kill me here. But it's my scar, it's not your scar," he said a New England documentary.

"No one is more hurt than me, no one wanted it more.

"They can endlessly torture you and think, 'if I had done different substitutions, then we would have won the match.' You just don't know it.

"Of course you could [have made attacking changes]. No one knows what would have happened.

"We could have done it and maybe lost 2-1 and could have gone, 'is he crazy? He finished the game against Norway with a back five, why didn't finish the game of with five?'

"I think from what I saw and the experience, the information and the level of craziness from Argentina put in -- change after change after change, it was just one offensive change after the other. That was my solution to the problem.

"That's what the intervention of a coach is. I try to help, you don't implement anything for your ego or whatever. You just try to help."

The German insists he made the decision to combat the hell for leather approach of the Argentines, who were throwing absolutely everything they could at his team.

"Argentina then play very, very quickly. Sorry for the language, [they played] f--- it football. 'We have nothing to lose. Let's f--- it,' he added.

"A key moment if I look back at it and what happened to my decision-making, we conceded a big, big chance right before the water break.

"And I thought, 'We will not survive. This is waiting for death. We don't have ball possession, we're not defending good, we're not defending properly in our 4-4-2. We need help.'

"I changed to a 5-3-2, we changed the structure. Because I believe we can handle the width better and we still have three central defenders in the middle if crosses still fly in.

"We changed then to a 5-4-1. Even my mindset is maybe like, 'Let's just overcome it.' And it's too early. Too early for that mindset."

Argentina would go on to lose the final 1-0 to Spain after an extra-time goal from Ferran Torres. There were calls from some to sack Tuchel after the loss against Lionel Messi and co. but he signed a new deal before the World Cup began and will soon take England through their qualification campaign for the 2028 European Championships.