​Like many people, I predicted before this World Cup began that England wouldn’t go beyond the last four, but Thomas Tuchel was supposed to prove us all wrong. He was hired to win this tournament for England, he said so himself when he took charge of the Three Lions in January 2025. He was meant to make the difference in the most difficult games, to push us past the semi-finals and over the line in the finals, the moments when we have fallen short so agonisingly in recent years. That did not happen in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by Argentina. He misjudged the approach after we scored, and his substitutions did not help. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, especially because I felt we had such a strong chance of reaching our first World Cup final in six decades. We expected more—at least I did—but just because Tuchel didn’t deliver doesn’t mean his time should be up.
Some England players were disappointed by the tactics as Tuchel questions the team’s DNA. There is been chatter about how Messi, on the pitch, disrupted England’s strategy in real time. From Southgate to Tuchel, people have wondered whether anything has really changed. Tuchel’s initial contract was set to expire this summer, yet he signed a two-year extension in February and will guide us into the 2028 European Championship, which England will co-host. I don’t think he is naive enough not to realise that what happened at this tournament will heighten the scrutiny on him going forward, and I don’t believe any of the criticism he has faced will faze him either. Tuchel is seasoned and has achieved enough to know how the game operates—and because of that, he will understand that his methods will be questioned even more in the future.
One reason for that scrutiny is that we never got to see the England performance he promised us at this World Cup. The way Argentina pressed in the final half-hour was meant to suit his team’s playing style. We faced truly top-class opposition—they are world champions for a reason—and we had heard for years that England would be better when teams like that opened up against us, rather than when they sat in a low block as they had earlier in the tournament. But we didn’t see it. Instead, Tuchel went very early with what has worked for him at this tournament in terms of defensive approach, as we did with ten men against Mexico or in the final minutes against Norway—and that is what cost us a place in the final. When you concede that much possession to a very good team for so long, and give Lionel Messi that much freedom, he will cause damage—and he did.
Tuchel said immediately after losing the semi-final that he did not regret his approach, but I know what it is like when I have been asked similar questions at the final whistle. Everything is raw in those moments, whether you’re a manager or a player. Yet the reality remains: we are left reflecting on what might have been, and Tuchel’s future will continue to be under a bright, relentless spotlight as England moves forward.