​ATLANTA — At the final whistle, they were strewn across the pitch in various poses of shock and grief. England had fallen in a game it didn’t have to lose, a game it was minutes away from winning, a game that would have sent them to their first World Cup final in 60 years.As the magnitude of the defeat settled in, Jude Bellingham stood near the middle of the stadium almost frozen, hands on hips while his various teammates fell on their back, crouched to their knees or simply sat down with legs spread. All of them were forced to watch Argentina celebrate another win that felt like destiny.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut for England, the 2-1 decision that sends Argentina and Lionel Messi to another World Cup final wasn’t destiny at all. It was strategy.And Thomas Tuchel, the England coach who has spent the entire World Cup talking about brave football and the last week playing mind games with his star player, must bear the blame.It’s not coming home. Instead, when it mattered most, Tuchel’s tactics came home to roost.“I believe that’s the nature of the game,” Tuchel said. “As soon as you lose, you get criticized. It’s just what it is. No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions so it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaybe the weight of the moment was too much for the 52-year-old German, who was hired to run the English national team because of his reputation for in-game mastery and willingness to hold players accountable. Maybe he sensed his team was tiring and wanted them to conserve energy as they tried to preserve a 1-0 lead. Maybe, in respecting Argentina’s comeback ability too much, he did his own team a disservice.Whatever the reason, Tuchel decided to “park the bus” for the final 20 minutes of the game, dropping extra defenders deep in front of the goal and pretty much surrendering any hope of scoring again or even possessing the ball.England manager Thomas Tuchel gives instructions to Jude Bellingham. (REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian)(REUTERS / REUTERS)Tuchel tried to win the game 1-0. He got the outcome his strategy deserved.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Argentina played with more risk, with more rhythm, with a feeling that maybe they have nothing to lose anymore,” Tuchel said. “Suddenly we played with a feeling we have a lot to lose so we dropped into a deep block which isn’t a problem but we struggled to stay active in that deep block and defend crosses and struggled to get physical on the runners into the box. … It was difficult for us. Couldn’t get the momentum back at all and they took advantage of it and won the game.It was a curious choice for a coach who said before the quarterfinal that, at this stage of the tournament, his team needed to “be on the front foot and be brave.” They have to go for it, Tuchel said, because otherwise there would be regrets.Did he forget his own words? Did he panic