Read 3 minutes16 July 2026 07:00 AM IST
The knives came out as England manager Thomas Tuchel’s side took a 1-0 lead after losing 2-1 to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night. The German coach’s tactics were scrutinized by former footballers such as Oliver Khan and Robbie Fowler.
England took the lead in the 55th minute thanks to Anthony Gordon’s goal. Then they resorted to defensive tactics that allowed the defending champion to attack wave after wave. Eventually, England completed a come-from-behind victory with Enzo Fernandez firing in from distance in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez heading in the ball in the second minute of injury time.
“England fell into a fear trap,” was former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn’s assessment on Zee5. “From the time England took the lead, they were just defending. It’s not possible against Argentina. They were playing with almost 10 defenders until the end of the game.”
Kahn also called out Tuchel’s tactics.
“We have to ask Tuchel what he is thinking. Such tactics cannot work until the end of the game against Argentina.”
Former England footballer Robbie Fowler, who earned 26 caps and scored seven goals for the national team, agreed with Kahn.
“This defeat is down to the manager and his strategy. He will be destroyed in the English press tomorrow. He came to England with a reputation as a super coach. But as a super coach you have to do more. His strategy has drawn a lot of attention to the backline,” Fowler said.
Asked how to view England’s World Cup, given their defeat in the semi-finals, he said: “Don’t think of it as a success. At least we should have reached the final. Otherwise what had changed (from the previous manager)? The defeat was entirely England’s fault.”
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Tuchel, for his part, defended their tactics in a post-match chat with the media.
“Argentina won every header. They kept crossing and crossing. So we went into a back five to close the gap inside and be strong in the air,” Tuchel said.
“Straight after our goal, without making any changes, we just conceded too many crosses and too many chances. So we tried to help. But of course the responsibility lies with the coach. And … if it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say it was wrong,” Tuchel said.