England players were said to be “stunned” by manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactics when the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. Anthony Gordon put England into the lead in the 55th minute with a brilliant dash into the box, turning Morgan Rodgers’ cross into the back of the goal.
However, the Three Lions crumbled in the final stages, conceding two goals in the final stages, and Argentina secured a place in the World Cup finals for the second time in a row. The Telegraph claims that Tuchel’s decision to introduce Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly to assess the game and maintain a lead has shocked many of England’s stars.
It was a ploy that worked extremely well for the Three Lions against Mexico in the Round of 16, when they played with 10 men and produced their best performance in recent World Cup history. But against a better team in Argentina, England wilted under the pressure.
The report claims that England officials felt that Argentina were looking to score after Gordon’s opener and that Lionel Scaloni’s side would have been more open on the counter and would have been right in England’s hands. However, instead of introducing the likes of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke to revamp the flank, Tuchel opted for a 5-4-1.
Olly Watkins also remained on the bench, but it was only when England were 2-1 up that Tuchel responded by bringing on Rashford and Ivan Toney as attacking substitutes. The report adds that after Declan Rice was sent off, there is a belief that he should have been replaced by an out-and-out midfielder rather than a defender.
Koby Mainu was left on the bench and did not play a single minute throughout the tournament.
Tuchel defended his decision after the game, saying: “After the game, millions of coaches think they know better. I have to make a decision. That’s how I analyzed the game.”
“I have no regrets. The team gave it their all and played a better game. It was probably the best under the circumstances.”
However, defender Marc Guehi was one who felt England should have kept the pressure on Argentina. After the match he said: “After taking a 1-0 lead it looked like we were trying to hold on, but at this level it’s not enough and I’m disappointed.
“We should have kept going. We should have kept pushing. I felt like after we scored, we had the mentality to go back and defend.”
