The appointment of German Thomas Tuchel as England manager sparked widespread media coverage, 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 seen as the missing link and the coach finally able to end a six-decade wait for a major title.

His predecessor Gareth Southgate had led a talented generation of England players to two major finals in Euro 2020 and 2024, in addition to 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 failing to adjust his tactical plans quickly enough to keep up with the flow of matches.

There was a prevailing belief that things would be different under Tuchel, known for his tactical cunning and who notably outperformed Manchester City led by Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, leading Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021.

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

This was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England have lost a semi-final or final of a major tournament after having led.

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

Many critics and former players were quick to hold Tuchel responsible 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, constantly pressing Jordan Pickford's goal, until they finally managed to snatch victory with goals from Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez in stoppage time.

We Deserved to Lose

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

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

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

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, now an analyst for the BBC, agreed with Owen, saying: 'I think Gareth Southgate is watching this match at home. He was heavily criticized in crucial moments with England when leading, for resorting to closing spaces and defensive positioning.'

He continued: 'But I don't think anything has 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 coach, who began his tenure in early 2025, said the momentum of the match had already started to shift in Argentina's favor before his tactical changes, as the world champions grew more desperate and pushed hard for an equalizer.

When asked if he thought he had made a tactical error, he replied: 'No, I think that's the nature of football. As soon as you lose, you get criticized. That's normal. Nobody knows what would have happened if we had made different decisions.'

He continued: 'So there's no point worrying about such hypotheticals and losing my composure. I am responsible for those decisions. I made them, and therefore I accept the criticism.'

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

But he refused to blame Tuchel for his management of the match after another chance to achieve a major milestone slipped away.

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

He concluded: 'That's what we have 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.'