It is Lionel Messi and Argentina that are heading to the World Cup Final after beating England 2-1. And as some fans and analysts are saying, it is all thanks to Thomas Tuchel and his tactics. But the England manager thinks that there is nuance to consider.
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“We decided to go to a back five because the gaps were just too open… Of course, the responsibility is on the coach. If it doesn’t go well, it is easy to say it is wrong,” said Tuchel in the postgame presser.
Tuchel argued that England produced one of their strongest performances in this World Cup despite getting knocked out in yet another semifinal. But we are seeing former players like Iker Casillas and top soccer YouTubers like Mark Goldbridge call out the manager for going too defensive in the game after scoring the goal. Goldbridge called the approach “stupid tactics” as frustration spread across social media. Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards also criticized the switch, believing England completely surrendered with defensive substitutions, even when they had the lead.
After scoring in the 55th minute, England gradually dropped deeper instead of pushing forward and allowed Argentina to control possession for a very large part of the game. After taking the lead, Tuchel started replacing attacking players with defenders to protect the 1-goal lead. Gordon made way for Ezri Konsa before Declan Rice was replaced by Nico O’Reilly – a substitution choice that was criticized by many. They eventually finished with just 36% possession, five shots, and created only 0.53 xG. And England had just 12% possession between Anthony Gordon’s opener (55th minute) and Lautaro Martinez’s winner (90+2 minute).
This shows how the defensive substitutions helped Argentina, as they got more control and possession of the ball, which ultimately led to Messi creating two assists, ending up in a swift comeback. The pressure caught up with England when Enzo Fernandez scored a banger, and Lautaro Martinez finished Messi’s inviting cross. England conceded twice in 8 minutes. Argentina finished with 64% possession, 15 shots, and three big chances after taking complete control during the closing stages.
Tuchel still defended his approach, saying, “As soon as you lose, you get criticised. That’s just what it is and get criticised after. No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions. So, it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I’m responsible for them, I took them, so I take the criticism. That’s just the way it is.”
