Coach Thomas Tuchel once made his mark at the 2026 World Cup with bold decisions and the ability to reverse the situation of the match. However, the very defensive choice in the semi-final match against Argentina became a turning point that caused England to lose their ticket to the final.
After Anthony Gordon opened the score at the beginning of the second half, the "Three Lions" had a great advantage and stood before the opportunity to end 60 years of waiting for a World Cup final. However, instead of continuing to maintain pressure, Tuchel decided to take Gordon off the field, put Ezri Konsa on to replace him and switch to a five-defender formation when the match had more than 20 minutes left.
This decision caused England to gradually lose control. They almost gave up the intention of counter-attacking, only holding the ball about 17% in 15 minutes after the opening goal and continuously retreating deep to resist pressure from Argentina. The attack was almost isolated when Gordon - the most dangerous spearhead in the transitions - was no longer on the field.
Tuchel's change also unintentionally eliminated the plan to exploit the two wings with Reece James and Djed Spence. When they had to retreat to play as full-backs in the 5-4-1 system, both almost had no chance to support the attack. In the last 20 minutes, England made very few passes in the opponent's half and almost did not create any significant opportunities.
Conversely, Argentina played more and more excitedly. Lionel Messi had more space to coordinate his playing style, and coach Lionel Scaloni continuously made attacking adjustments. Enzo Fernandez equalized with a long-range shot in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez headed in to seal a 2-1 victory in injury time.
After the match, Tuchel admitted that England had become too passive after taking the lead. It is worth mentioning that he himself criticized his predecessor Gareth Southgate for his idea of preserving the score at EURO 2024. However, against Argentina, the German strategist repeated the same mistake he once condemned.
Captain Harry Kane also frankly acknowledged: "At this level, just trying to protect the advantage is not enough". That statement accurately reflects the reason why the "Three Lions" once again collapsed before the threshold of the final.
Tuchel's substitution decisions were effective in previous matches, but this time they were counterproductive. Prioritizing strengthening the defense instead of continuing to put pressure has given the game to Argentina - a team that owns Messi and extensive experience in big matches.
The 1-2 defeat not only closed England's journey at the 2026 World Cup, but also raised questions about Tuchel's ability to manage the match in decisive moments. EURO 2028 will be the next opportunity for him to prove that this was just a momentary mistake, instead of a repeat of the obsession that has haunted the "Three Lions" for decades.
