England manager Thomas Tuchel is facing severe criticism following the Three Lions' exit from the World Cup at the hands of Argentina. Legends of the sport have branded the German's tactics as "cowardly" and a "coaching disaster" after England conceded two late goals to lose the semi-final match.
England had taken the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon, but opted to adopt a defensive stance rather than pursue a second goal. Tuchel made a series of substitutions that shifted the team to a five-at-the-back formation, a move that ultimately left the team vulnerable to Argentina's high press. The defending champions capitalized on this, scoring an equalizer in the 85th minute and a winning goal in stoppage time, both assisted by Lionel Messi.
Argentina will now face Spain in the World Cup final, while England will compete for third place against France.
Despite the backlash, Tuchel maintained he had "no regrets" about his tactical decisions, suggesting that England's issues stemmed from losing control of the match prior to his changes.
However, former World Cup winners Thomas Muller and Iker Casillas, along with ex-England striker Chris Sutton, have voiced strong opposition to Tuchel's approach. Muller, who previously worked with Tuchel at Bayern Munich, expressed disbelief at England's strategy after taking the lead, stating he "cannot understand how they invited Argentina to play one cross after the other in perfect crossing positions."
Casillas, the 2010 World Cup winner, criticized England's "cowardly approach," noting the team's minimal possession and limited time spent in the opponent's box after scoring. "They haven’t left their own box and have allowed Argentina to come forward more. The logical outcome happens," Casillas posted on X.
Sutton labeled the defeat a "coaching catastrophe," arguing that Tuchel's negative approach and substitutions, including leaving attacking players like Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins on the bench, handed Argentina the initiative. "You can’t expect to defend for 30 minutes against the quality Argentina had," Sutton said, questioning Tuchel's ability to lead the team forward. Roy Keane also disputed Tuchel's post-match assessment of England's performance, calling the claim that it was "one of our better matches" as "rubbish."