Tuchel Reflects on World Cup Semi-Final Defeat, Defends Tactical Decisions

Thomas Tuchel has opened up about England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, admitting the experience left a lasting impact and that he must 'live with the scar' of the result. The Three Lions held a 1-0 lead after Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute, but Argentina equalized through Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute, with Lautaro Martinez scoring the winner in added time.

Tuchel, who was the coach at the time, faced criticism for his tactical decisions, particularly a shift to a back-five with 19 minutes remaining, which was followed by a period of sustained Argentine pressure. He revealed his thinking behind the change in the FA's documentary "Reflections: England's World Cup Journey."

"It did something to me," Tuchel told former England striker Daniel Sturridge. "It did maybe something to the players, and we suddenly shifted into a mindset: 'Let's just overcome it' – that's how we played."

He described England's play in the latter stages as lacking possession and depth, contrasting it with Argentina's approach. "Argentina then played very, very quickly. Sorry for the language, 'f*** it' football. 'We have nothing to lose, so let’s f*** it.' They played two wingers, two strikers, and Messi. So they just took a six off and put a 10 in. At some point they played 3-1-6. And we struggled."

Tuchel explained that a key moment for him was conceding a significant chance just before the water break, leading him to believe the team was "waiting for death" due to a lack of ball possession and defensive stability. He had previously used a back-five formation successfully in knockout matches against Mexico and Norway.

"I thought, 'Okay, we will not survive. This is waiting for death.' We don't have ball possession. We're not defending good. We're not defending properly in our 4-4-2. We need help," Tuchel stated.

He defended his decision, noting that opponents often relied on crosses and that a back-five seemed a logical countermeasure. He also acknowledged the difficulty of second-guessing tactical choices: "We could have done it and maybe lost 2-1 and people would go like: 'Is he crazy? Against Norway, he finished the game with five. Why not finish the game off with five?'"

Tuchel emphasized that his decisions were an attempt to help the team, not driven by ego. "I tried to help, that’s what the intervention of a coach is. You don't try to implement anything for your ego or whatever. You just try to help."

He concluded by stating his personal responsibility for the outcome. "But that is a very, very difficult road to go down that can torture you and you can try to kill me here, but it's my scar. It's not your scar. I have to live with it. You don't have to live with it. I have to live with this.

"I am in charge here, and I take these decisions. It's the players' scar, and it's my scar, and I have to live with it and keep on going.

No one is more hurt than me. No one wanted it more. And you can now endlessly torture yourself and think if I would have done a different substitution, then we would’ve won the match. You just don’t know it."