‘We got too passive after the goal’: Tuchel remarks after loss to Argentina

2 min readJul 16, 2026 06:30 AM IST

England head coach Thomas Tuchel reacts during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

England coach Thomas Tuchel’s tactics against Argentina came under a lot of flak after the Three Lions went into a defensive shell following Anthony Gordon’s opener in the 55th minute. From then on, England sat back in defence, looking for counters as Argentina pressed ahead ahead relentlessly which ultimately bore fruit as Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored in the 85th as well as the 90+5 minutes, both goals assisted by Lionel Messi, to relegate England to a 1-2 defeat.

“We’re disappointed. We were so close but we got too passive after the goal. We conceded so, so many crosses and chances and shots. We were close but we couldn’t keep the level up after we scored. We decided to go a back five because the gaps were too big and be strong in the air. Straight after the goal, with no substitutions, we conceded far too many crosses. We tried to help the players, but the responsibility is on the coach,” Tuchel said after the match as per Guardian, explaining his tactics.

“Of course we wanted to go for the second goal, but it doesn’t help if you don’t have the ball. We became too passive, we couldn’t keep the ball. I don’t think it was a structural problem. The match changed completely and I understand that these discussions are out there, that there are a million coaches out there who know better. I have to make a decision. No regrets, not at the moment. We were very close, we deserved to be 1-0 up – we played one of our better matches [up to that point], maybe our best match,” he added.

England could just keep 12% of the possession from the 55th minute– when Gordon scored–to the 92nd minute, as per Opta which paints a dire picture of the Three Lions with Tuchel absolutely getting savaged by critics due to his defensive approach.

Tuchel and England will now play against France in the 3rd place play-off on Saturday while Messi and Argentina have a date with destiny against Lamine Yamal’s Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.