England head coach Thomas Tuchel defended his tactical decisions during the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, stating he made choices based on his instincts and experience to help the team. In a post-match news conference, Tuchel acknowledged the team was too passive in the latter stages of the game but did not regret the decisions he made.
"I don't regret my decisions," Tuchel said. "I felt that the momentum switches in the match. And I tried to help my team... I took several decisions, trusting my instinct, my intuition, my experience, trusting my competitiveness, and I took the decision in order to help the team and get the result. We didn't get the result."
Tuchel stated he was not willing to assign blame, accepting full responsibility as the head coach. When questioned about Harry Kane playing deeper in the final 35 minutes, Tuchel explained it was a tactical shift to defend in a "deep block" due to a lack of activity and the opponent's offensive pressure.
He noted that Argentina gained momentum after England's goal, making offensive changes and creating numerous scoring opportunities. "We could not stop the crosses, and we could not stop the runners into the box," Tuchel said. "So we decided to play a back five, to have more width in the field, to be closer to the guys who cross."
The coach observed that England became too passive while Argentina "found another gear and they found the total flow." He described the 2-1 loss to Argentina, who he called "the best player in the world" and the reigning world champions, as "painful."
Tuchel also addressed concerns about England's physical performance levels dropping, suggesting that demanding matches, including playing with 10 men in altitude and heat, may have had a greater physical cost than initially apparent. He emphasized that the players gave everything physically in every match, and any drop in data must have a reason, as motivation was high.