The aftermath of England's World Cup semi-final defeat has seen former players Gary Neville, Ian Wright, and Roy Keane weigh in on manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical choices. England was eliminated after a 2-1 loss, despite holding a lead late in the match.
Tuchel's decision to shift to a defensive formation, including a back-five, when leading has drawn criticism for stifling England's attacking presence. Gary Neville suggested that a bolder move would have been to substitute captain Harry Kane, believing it would have provided a necessary counter-attacking threat. Neville stated that taking Kane or Jude Bellingham off and bringing on players like Marcus Rashford or Morgan Rogers could have offered more pace in central areas.
Neville, who earned 85 caps for England, also reflected on the team's struggles against technically proficient opponents in high-pressure moments. He argued that the semi-final match against Argentina represented the closest England has come to a World Cup final in recent tournaments, describing the loss as particularly painful for the squad.
Ian Wright echoed Neville's sentiment regarding the substitutions, characterizing them as defensive rather than attacking. He questioned whether these tactical choices aligned with Tuchel's previously brave selection approach throughout the tournament.
In contrast, Tuchel maintained post-match that he had "no regrets" about his second-half tactics, asserting that England had played their "best game" of the tournament. This assertion was sharply refuted by Roy Keane, who called the assessment "rubbish." Keane pointed to limited attacking touches in the box as evidence that the team did not perform at its best, contrasting England's seven touches in the opponent's box with Argentina's 28.
Wright also drew parallels between the current defeat and past tournaments, citing the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy as an example of England dropping back after taking a lead, only to concede further. He identified a recurring pattern of failing to build on positive momentum.