The cruel reality is that Thomas Tuchel has been seriously injured. All of a sudden, it seems like Tuchel isn’t that much of a genius after all. It was his tactics that caused the players to fail, not the other way around.
The aura surrounding England’s “world class” manager was soon replaced by a chorus of criticism of his tactics against Argentina.
Former Three Lions captain Wayne Rooney slammed Tuchel’s decision, saying England had “fallen apart”. Manager Alan Shearer said Tuchel’s tactics had “backfired”. BBC pundit Chris Sutton said it was a “coaching disaster”. There was genuine disbelief among many England fans here in the US about the manner of the defeat.
England were on the brink of defeat the moment they took the lead. Almost immediately, England closed up shop, erected barricades, and tried to defend itself.
They ended up with five people. In fact, they invited Argentina to join them when England were at their best when they had the upper hand.
why? Argentina is an aging team with poor full-backs, so they will be repaired and led by the genius Lionel Messi. Giving Messi the ball is a recipe for disaster. Sitting out for most of the rest of the game is incredibly negative. The most damning statistic was that England had 12 per cent of possession from the time they took the lead until conceding the winner in stoppage time.
That’s shocking. Yes, it should also be partly about keeping the ball better. However, manager Tuchel must take some of the responsibility for being too passive.
Tuchel said in March that England were “afraid” of losing at the Euros and did not have the “hunger and excitement” to win. Sadly, old quotes tend to get remembered and stuck in your head. This doesn’t just bother Tuchel. It makes him look so stupid.
Tuchel was called up for his expertise in knockout football. He led Chelsea to the Champions League final. He’s serious, ruthless, and a good replacement.
The German’s defensive changes worked early in the tournament, but they didn’t work against Argentina.
Everything that was said to be Southgate’s weakness. Sadly, Tuchel’s subs were poor and they lost the game, and the magic disappeared. He will do well to win back fans who doubt him.
Things change very quickly in football. England fans delighted with the wins over Mexico and Norway. they were on the march. Expectations were high. This could be an opportunity – and Tuchel lost the bottle. No one knows if that respect can be regained. He had a great run at the World Cup. The fans enjoyed it. But disappointment hurts and is damaging.
Tuchel will have to go a long way to win fans back on his side. There is no question that the Football Association loves Tuchel. It’s downright strange to suggest that changed after losing in the semi-finals.
However, they made the mistake of giving him two more years. why? They didn’t feel the need at first, so why panic? He was a hired gun to win the World Cup, win or lose.
And if his contract was due to expire immediately after this World Cup, would he have been so cautious against Argentina? Of course not.
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