England players were shocked by the tactical decisions made by German coach Thomas Tuchel after taking the lead against Argentina (1-0) in the World Cup semi-final, according to an English press report.

After Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute, which gave England a 1-0 lead, Tuchel decided to switch to a five-man defense, substituting Gordon himself and bringing on defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute, then further strengthening the defense by introducing Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly.

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These defensive changes made England completely retreat and lose control of the match.

After Gordon's goal, England's ball possession did not exceed 12%, and they succumbed to repeated Argentine attacks, before the latter scored two goals in stoppage time (Enzo Fernández and then Lautaro Martínez) to qualify for the final.

According to sources inside the English camp, the British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported that the players were 'astonished' and 'dissatisfied' with the early defensive shift, especially since the team was in a strong position and could have continued pressing instead of retreating.

In response, Tuchel defended his decisions after the match, saying he 'does not regret' them, explaining that he switched to a five-man defense to close spaces and counter the many crosses that Argentina was sending.

However, many players and experts considered the decision to be very negative, directly contributing to the loss of the match, and that England 'surrendered the initiative' to Argentina after having been in a controlling position.