England defender Marc Guehi voiced disappointment with the team's second-half tactics following their World Cup semi-final elimination by Argentina on Wednesday.
Anthony Gordon had given England a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute, after a first half marked by persistent fouls on key midfielders. However, with approximately ten minutes remaining in regulation time, manager Thomas Tuchel made several defensive substitutions. Guehi suggested these changes contributed to England's inability to extend their lead, which ultimately allowed Argentina to equalize.
"Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is just not enough, so I'm gutted," Guehi told BBC Sport after the match. "We should have carried on. We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and the mentality was, go back, defend."
Enzo Fernandez scored the equalizer for Argentina in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martinez added a second goal in injury time to seal England's defeat.
Tuchel, when questioned about his decisions, defended his strategy, stating that criticism is easier when the outcome is unfavorable. "If it doesn't go well, it's easy to say that it was wrong," Tuchel told the BBC. He indicated that his changes were an attempt to stabilize the team after conceding possession and chances, particularly with crosses into the box, following England's goal.
"We just tried to help the players. We conceded straight away. We decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open," Tuchel explained. "Straight after our goal, without a substitution we conceded way too many crosses and chances. We tried to help but the responsibility was on the coach."
During the period between England's goal and Argentina's equalizer, England held only 12 percent of possession. Tuchel added that the team became passive and struggled to retain possession after the change in approach.
"We stayed in our 4-4-2 but we became passive, couldn't win any balls or keep the ball. It wasn't a structure problem," he said. "We changed nothing after the goal but the match changed completely. I understand these discussions are out there and other coaches know it better after the game."
Other figures, including former England players Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney, as well as World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas and pundit Chris Sutton, also criticized Tuchel's tactical choices after the match. Rashford and Toney were brought on late in added time, but it was insufficient to force extra time or secure a winning goal.
Guehi expressed his current state of disappointment when asked about the team's prospects for future silverware. "I don't know. I don't know. It's hard to think about the future right now. At the moment, it's just disappointment. That's all."
