The appointment of German manager Thomas Tuchel to lead the senior England national football team generated significant media buzz, especially after he declared his objective to add a second star to the 'Three Lions' jersey by winning the World Cup for the second time in history. After years of disappointment and coming agonizingly close to glory, Tuchel was seen as the missing piece—the coach finally capable of ending a six-decade wait for a major trophy. His predecessor, Gareth Southgate, had guided a talented generation of English players to two major finals in Euro 2020 and 2024, in addition to a World Cup semifinal in 2018 and a quarterfinal in 2022. Yet, all those appearances ended in disappointment, amid repeated criticism of Southgate for his failure to adjust his tactical plans quickly enough to keep pace with the flow of matches.

There was a prevailing belief that things would be different under Tuchel, who is known for his tactical astuteness and who notably outclassed Manchester City, managed by the Spaniard Pep Guardiola, to lead Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021. However, England exited the World Cup in the semifinals against Argentina on Wednesday in a painfully familiar fashion, having failed to capitalize on a 1-0 lead before allowing pressure to mount, losing control of the game, and eventually falling 1-2.

This was the third time since the 2018 World Cup that England has lost a major tournament semifinal or final after holding a lead. All three defeats, including Wednesday’s at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, followed the same script: a strong start, taking a 1-0 lead, followed by a desperate defensive retreat, before collapsing in the end.

Many pundits and former players were quick to hold Tuchel responsible for the latest English failure, accusing the German manager of resorting to an overly defensive approach too early in the match, following Anthony Gordon’s goal in the 55th minute. Argentina dominated the final minutes of the game, constantly pressuring Jordan Pickford’s goal until they finally managed to snatch the win with goals from Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martínez in stoppage time.

Michael Owen, the former England striker, described the defeat as a missed opportunity and harshly criticized Tuchel’s second-half substitutions. He wrote on the 'X' platform: 'We are a better team than Argentina, I have no doubt about that. But we deserved to lose in the end. It could easily have ended 1-4.' He added: 'Bringing on three extra defenders while leading 1-0, what message does that send?... Until we realize that courage and boldness lie in holding the ball under pressure, rather than clearing it or kicking it 40 yards away, this will always be the final result.'

Joe Hart, the former England goalkeeper and current BBC analyst, agreed with Owen, saying: 'I think Gareth Southgate is watching this match from home... He faced a lot of criticism during crucial moments with England while leading, for resorting to closing spaces and sitting deep defensively.' He continued: 'But I don't think anything has changed in those defining moments.'

While Tuchel took responsibility for the defeat, he rejected accusations that his second-half substitutions were the cause of the outcome. The England manager, who began his tenure in early 2025, said that the momentum of the match had already begun to shift in Argentina's favor before his tactical tweaks, with the desperation of the world champions growing as they pushed relentlessly for an equalizer.

When asked if he believed he had made a tactical mistake, he replied: 'No, I think this is the nature of football. As soon as you lose, you get criticized. This is normal. No one knows what would have happened if we had made different decisions.' He continued: 'So, there is no point in dwelling on such hypotheses and losing my mind. I am responsible for these decisions. I made them, and therefore I bear the criticism.'

Harry Kane, the England captain, stated that the team 'just tried to protect our lead too early.' However, he refused to hold Tuchel responsible for his management of the match after another chance for a major achievement slipped away. Kane added: 'There will always be an attempt now to blame people or coaches. This is not the right time for that. We win together and we lose together. We did everything we could. If the plan had worked, everyone would have called him a genius. Ultimately, 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 is always the case in these crucial moments, we need to find that missing piece.'