England manager Thomas Tuchel defended his tactical decisions following the team's 2-1 World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina, stating that the criticism of his strategy is amplified by the loss. Argentina secured their place in the final with two late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, after England had taken a 1-0 lead.
Tuchel implemented changes to bolster the defense in the latter stages of the match, aiming to protect England's lead. "They won every header. They kept crossing and crossing. So we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be stronger in the air," Tuchel explained. "Straight after our goal, with no substitutions, we just conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances. So we tried to help."
Despite the strategic adjustments, Argentina maintained significant possession, dominating 88% of the ball in the 38 minutes between England's goal and Argentina's equalizer, according to Opta. This marks the second time this century a team has scored first in a World Cup semifinal and lost, with the previous instance also involving England in 2018.
England had taken the lead in the 55th minute through Anthony Gordon. However, Argentina quickly shifted the momentum. In the 82nd minute, Tuchel brought on defenders Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly, replacing Reece James and Declan Rice respectively, to reinforce the backline. "It’s disappointing to give up the space that we did in those final 20 minutes," said England captain Harry Kane. "It allowed not just (Messi), but the other players to grow into the game and feel more confident and ping balls into dangerous areas."
Fernández scored the equalizer in the 85th minute with a strike from outside the penalty area, assisted by Lionel Messi. The attacking pressure from Argentina continued, with the team hitting the crossbar and missing another chance before Martínez scored the winning goal with a header from a Messi cross in stoppage time.
Reflecting on the match, a player familiar with England's defensive stands, Burn, acknowledged that the late-game approach did not yield the desired outcome. "Off the ball, we defended probably a little bit too deep," Burn stated. "With the quality of chances that Argentina were creating, I felt like it was a matter of time."