Thomas Tuchel was used to win the semi-final but instead caused a tactical disaster

The folly of giving the German a two-year contract extension ahead of the World Cup was exposed by England’s capitulation to Argentina

First of all, Argentina doesn’t get credit for finding a way to reach the World Cup finals for the second year in a row. This idea that England somehow got the semi-final in Atlanta into their own hands is fanciful to say the least.

Fifty-five minutes had passed when Anthony Gordon converted Morgan Rodgers’ cross. After an hour, Argentina had scored 10 goals in the tournament.

It looks decidedly average for much of the early game, but works when it counts. If a team takes very few touches inside the opponent’s penalty area (England had 7 in the entire match), they will always be vulnerable.

and vulnerable to top-quality substitutes. If they can keep Lautaro Martinez on the bench for more than 80 minutes, they’re a good team.

England were in a good position after Gordon’s goal, but that was it. However, it was Thomas Tuchel who lost against Argentina. From tactical tweaks to substitutions, he couldn’t have done more wrong after taking the lead.

Early press conferences suggest the Football Association has no intention of changing the national team manager. Well, they wouldn’t, would they? Because they were stupid enough to give him that new contract.

Initially, Tuchel joined the club on an 18-month contract with just one contract. Not to lead England to several tournaments, but to win one tournament. world cup.

He was unable to complete the gist. Although they deserve praise for advancing to the final four, the way they were ultimately eliminated was tragic.

There is no need to be overly patriotic to embrace the principle that managers of teams in major soccer countries should be from that country. But the Football Association ignored that principle and ignored the claims of all English coaches. Probably because they thought Tuchel was a game changer.

Unfortunately, they were proven right. He dramatically changed the game in Argentina’s favor. But was he really that impressive throughout his tenure?

The qualifying campaign would have been a walk in the park for any manager, and in the tournament itself England showed flashes of being a very good team, but they were just flashes. It is very well known.

This is the only time England have had a super coach. Two of the finalists, Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente, have federations in charge. One is already a World Cup winner and the other has won a European Championship.

Neither is close to the £5m a year Tuchel earns, which he will continue to earn for the next two years. Tuchel clearly had the ball managing England until the real work began.

Perhaps he couldn’t help but find it vaguely amusing that England had turned to the Germans to end a long-standing wound. He has clearly enjoyed the different rhythms of international management, essentially on a part-time basis.

And he is clearly relishing the special challenge of leading his country at the World Cup. But he fell short. It’s very simple.

The Football Association will point to the fact that he led England to the semi-finals as a basis for justifying their faith in him. But he was hired to win the semi-final, not to cause a tactical blunder at the most important moment.

Still, Tuchel could take a few months off before thinking about the next games towards the end of September. And the FA will have to stick to its decision.

Would there have been any difference in England’s performance in the final stages of the semi-final if Tuchel had not been given a new contract before the tournament? Probably not. But at the time it was a stupid decision – and it looks even stupider now.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.