The appointment of German Thomas Tuchel as England manager caused a huge media stir, after he announced that his goal is to add a second star to the shirt of the 'Three Lions', by leading them to win the World Cup for the second time in their history.

After years of disappointments and coming so close to glory, Tuchel was considered the missing piece, the coach finally capable of ending a six-decade wait for a major title.

His predecessor Gareth Southgate had led a talented generation of English players to two major finals in the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, as well as the 2018 World Cup semi-final and the 2022 World Cup quarter-final.

But all those campaigns ended in disappointment, amid repeated criticism of Southgate for not adjusting his tactical plans quickly enough to match match developments.

There was a belief that the situation would be different under Tuchel, known for his tactical astuteness, who notably outclassed Manchester City under Spanish coach Pep Guardiola to lead Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League title in 2021.

But England were eliminated from the World Cup at the semi-final stage against Argentina on Wednesday, in a painful and all-too-familiar way, after failing to capitalize on their 1-0 lead, before allowing pressure to be imposed on them, losing the initiative, and losing 1-2.

This was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England had lost a match in a semi-final or final of a major tournament after having been leading.

The three defeats, including Wednesday's at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, followed the same scenario: a strong start, then a 1-0 lead, followed by desperate defensive retreat, before a final collapse.

Many critics and former players were quick to blame Tuchel for England's latest failure, accusing the German coach of resorting to an overly defensive approach too early in the match, after Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute.

Argentina dominated the final minutes of the match, continuously pressuring Jordan Pickford's goal, until they finally snatched victory with goals from Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez in stoppage time.

Former England striker Michael Owen said the defeat was a missed opportunity, strongly criticizing Tuchel's second-half substitutions.

He wrote on platform 'X': "We are a better team than Argentina, and I have no doubt about that. But we deserved to lose in the end. In fact, it could have ended 1-4."

He added: "Bringing on three additional defenders when leading 1-0, what message does that send?... Until we realize that courage and boldness lie in keeping possession under pressure, not clearing it or hoofing it 40 yards, this will always be the end result."

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, currently an analyst for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), agreed with Owen, saying: "I think Gareth Southgate is watching this match from home. He was heavily criticized in key moments with England when leading, for resorting to closing spaces and defensive positioning."

He continued: "But I don't think anything changed in those key moments."

While Tuchel accepted responsibility for the defeat, he rejected accusations that his second-half substitutions were the cause of what happened.

The England manager, who began his tenure in early 2025, said the tide of the match had already begun to turn in Argentina's favor before his tactical changes, as the world champion's desperation grew and they pushed hard for an equalizer.

When asked if he thought he made a tactical mistake, he replied: "No, I think this is the nature of football. As soon as you lose, you get criticized. That's normal. No one knows what would have happened if we had made different decisions."

He added: "So, there's no point in dwelling on such hypotheticals and losing my composure. I am responsible for these decisions. I made them, and therefore I accept the criticism."

England captain Harry Kane said the team "tried to hold on to their lead too early."

But he refused to blame Tuchel for his game management after another opportunity for a major achievement slipped away.

Kane said: "There will always be attempts to blame people or coaches now. This is not the right time for that. We win together, we lose together. We did everything we could. If the plan had succeeded, everyone would have called him a genius. In the end, it didn't work for many different reasons."

He concluded: "This is what we need to work on improving. We are close, we are knocking on the door, but as always in these decisive moments, we need to find that missing link."