‘He got it wrong’: England coach’s ‘gamble’ blamed for heartbreaking loss
Thomas Tuchel has no regrets about his defensive substitutions that ultimately proved costly for England in their semi-final defeat to Argentina on Thursday, despite several former players flaming his tactical choices.
Argentina have the chance to become the first team since 1962 to win back-to-back FIFA World Cups when they play Spain in the final on Monday morning.
Lionel Messi celebrates after Argentina beat England in the FIFA World Cup semi-final. AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
Argentina got there the hard way, with a stunning 2-1 come-from-behind win over England, extending the Three Lions’ World Cup drought into a seventh decade.
This loss will be a familiar feeling for crushed England fans. In the 2018 semi-final in Russia, England scored first against Croatia and lost in extra time. This one will arguably hurt more.
England went ahead courtesy of a brilliant Anthony Gordon goal in the 55th minute, but manager Tuchel opted to make a number of defensive substitutions that included taking off his goalscorer in hopes of holding on to their lead.
That substitution decision drew Argentina in and they scored twice in the space of seven minutes, leaving Tuchel to scramble to rectify his error, but it was too late.
“Tuchel made the decision, and when you make the decision it is a gamble,” former England captain Wayne Rooney said on BBC.
“The gamble he made was to go with five at the back, which allowed them to dictate the game. We have to be honest. The decisions that he made cost us.”
Micah Richards, a former England defender, agreed, adding: “Tuchel was brought in to be the difference. Tactically, we all thought he got it wrong today.
“When we went to five at the back. I thought we could have kept the momentum going and brought on wingers. Ultimately, we didn’t have the answers.”
Speaking on Nine’s Today, Craig Foster recognised that Tuchel should have known with a rival team that boasts a superstar of Lionel Messi’s talent that his defensive strategy would not work out the best.
Many online also pointed out that former England manager Gareth Southgate was consistently flamed for playing a defensive style of football, with most conceding that Tuchel’s job was to bring a new attacking flare for the team.
But Tuchel was still proud of his team given the circumstances they were put in.
Tuchel is mad. Getty Images
“You can discuss this with a million coaches [but] I have to make a decision on the pitch,” the England manager told reporters post-match.
“In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything, and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0.
“We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line, but no regrets.”
Tuchel continued: “They won every header. They kept crossing and crossing, so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be stronger in the air.
“Straight after our goal, with no substitutions, we just conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances so we tried to help.
“But of course, the responsibility is on the coach. And ... if it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say that it was wrong.”
Argentina’s first goal came in the 85th minute – a stunning strike from Enzo Fernández from well outside the box that sent fans into a frenzy.
Heavily outnumbered Argentina fans celebrating at The Star in Sydney. Nine
They then attacked relentlessly and peppered England ’keeper Jordan Pickford, who made several brilliant saves.
The heartbreaker for England came in the second minute of added time. A perfect cross from Lionel Messi found Martínez on the far post. Pickford could only watch as the header sailed past him and into the net.
“England are withering, Argentina are wondering,” legendary commentator Andy Townsend quipped on SBS.
Fans, a vast majority English, had packed into venues across Australia to watch the match. Raucous minutes earlier, they were suddenly silenced as the painful drought that extends far beyond many of their lifetimes was extended once again.
Back in Atlanta, cameras captured fans in tears. David Beckham was among them.
Former England striker Alan Shearer conceded the better team had won.
“You have got to be open and honest about it,” he said on the BBC. “Their reaction was brilliant, they hit the post a few times and England got lucky.”
A teary English fan. Getty Images
“(Argentina) didn’t panic, they stuck to their game plan, they believed in what they were doing, and they did it.
“The substitutions worked for them, and you have to respect the way they came back into the game. They deserve to be in the final on Sunday as much as it hurts to say that.”
England captain Harry Kane simply told reporters he was “gutted” with the result.
“We’ve worked so hard to get here,” Kane said.
“We played a good game for the large majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is not enough.”
Only Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (1958-1962) have ever won back-to-back World Cups.
Australian great Foster said he expects Monday morning’s (AEST) final to be a very different match to this.
Paredes and Fernandez celebrate with fans. Getty Images
“Spain are not going to sit back like England did, that’s for sure,” he said.
“Even if Spain go up, they just they want to keep having the ball, and they want to keep controlling the game.
“Tuchel and England completely conceded control of the game. You conceded to Leo Messi … you cannot give control of the game to Leo Messi.”
For some consolation, England and France – one of the oldest international rivalries anywhere in the world – will play for third place on Sunday morning at 7am (AEST).
