Thomas Tuchel reacts after England’s loss to Argentina (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
England manager Thomas Tuchel is under real scrutiny this evening, with many journalists criticizing his tactics against Argentina on social media.
Tuchel has long been regarded as one of the top managers in the game, but he went on the defensive too early in England’s World Cup semi-final defeat on Wednesday night.
Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above apple & Google play
Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions a 1-0 lead, but Tuchel made a number of substitutes and conceded a lot of goals to Argentina, who eventually managed to come back 2-1.
Sometimes teams need to be a little more cautious towards the end of close games, but Tuchel just took it a little too far tonight, starting that negative approach quite early on.
See the screen capture below.
Want more catchoffside coverage? Add us Google recommended sources Add trusted news to your favorites list
Thomas Tuchel’s defensive substitutes for England vs Argentina
See below for a list of the players Tuchel has featured for England and their moments. It certainly paints a picture…
| sub player | minutes |
| Gordon is off, concert is on | 72 minutes |
| Rice is off, O’Reilly is on | 82 minutes |
| James off, burn on | 82 minutes |
| Stones off, Tony on | 96 minutes |
| Spence off, Rashford on | 96 minutes |
This will be an important lesson for England and for Tuchel, who certainly had enough quality in his squad to continue against Argentina.
No one disputes that England should have gone on an all-out attack, but it’s rare that a team can win just by defending.
This only handed the momentum to Argentina, who will eventually be punished if they allow players like Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandes more and more opportunities to get into dangerous positions.
