Tuchel explained the reasons why England lost to Argentina and missed the chance to reach the World Cup 2026 final, expressing his thoughts on the outcome.
Thomas Tuchel, England's national team manager, stated there is nothing to regret as the team gave their all after losing 1-2 to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final last night, despite criticism over their overly defensive approach.
In that match, England took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but then shifted to a defensive stance, allowing Argentina to score two late goals by Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, resulting in England's shocking elimination.
Regarding the attempt to score a second goal, Tuchel said, "Yes, but if you don’t control the ball, you can’t attack."
"We’re disappointed. We were close to winning but played too defensively after scoring and gave the opponent many chances. We couldn’t maintain our level after scoring."
"Of course we wanted the second goal, but I didn’t feel that offensive substitutions would help. They won every aerial duel and kept delivering crosses, so we switched to a five-defender formation to close the central gaps and strengthen aerial defense. But after conceding the equalizer, we allowed them too many opportunities. We couldn’t win the ball or keep possession."
"Naturally, the responsibility lies with the coach, and if things don’t go as hoped, it’s easy to say it was a mistake."
When asked if his substitutions increased the defenders' burden, he replied, "You could discuss this with a million coaches, but I have to make decisions on the pitch. I analyzed the game and made that call. That is my responsibility."
"Now, there is nothing to regret. The team gave everything, and we were close to winning. We played one of our best matches, perhaps the best in such a situation. Our team is strong. We didn’t make it, but there’s no regret. This is not the time to analyze the entire tournament; we were simply eliminated because we lost this crucial match."