​Thomas Tuchel has privately rejected accusations that he encouraged his England team to try to hang on against Argentina in their World Cup semi-final defeat.The head coach has come under fire for sending on three defenders while his team were leading through Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs exclusively revealed by Telegraph Sport, England players were shocked by the changes and the fact Bukayo Saka was left on the bench.Telegraph Sport understands that Tuchel’s message to his England substitutes was to “play higher” during the 2-1 loss in Atlanta.Tuchel retains the Football Association’s backing, following England’s World Cup exit, but he will be subject to the normal review once the World Cup is over.The German will argue that he did not cost England a chance of qualifying for the final through negativity and will also highlight the physical impact of the tournament on his squad.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the Argentina game, Tuchel insisted he had no regrets over his approach and some of those close to him have been shocked by the criticism he has received.It is believed that Tuchel felt his team had already dropped too deep ahead of the final hydration break before he made any substitutions.England had a defensive line of six players in the 62nd minute, with all 11 players behind the ball – BBCThere are claims that rather than sending on his substitutes to sit deep, Tuchel told them that they needed to “play higher” and try to help the team get up the pitch.That did not happen and Argentina scored two late goals to win the game and dump England out of the World Cup.Tuchel is also believed to think that the games at the Azteca Stadium, where England beat Mexico, and the extra-time victory over Norway in Miami, took too much out of his squad physically.Thomas Tuchel has blamed England’s football “DNA” for their semi-final exit against Argentina but is adamant that he is the right man to take the country forward.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe German coach was heavily criticised for his tactics during defeat after surrendering a 1-0 lead, although he has the backing of the Football Association.One of the damning statistics at Atlanta Stadium was that England had 12 per cent possession between Anthony Gordon’s opening goal and Enzo Fernandez equalising for Argentina.Former England manager Gareth Southgate spoke frequently about England needing a No 6 to control games and Tuchel hit back at his critics by claiming the problem was retaining possession.“I think ball possession plays a crucial role,” said Tuchel. “It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA. To take the ball, control the game and the ball which is also a big problem.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We struggled physically as well, through the whole touranment playing in the heat, playing in the altitude, playing with a man down a