​England somehow lose a place in the World Cup final, because Thomas Tuchel loses his bottle.This dogged campaign, that had England on the brink of their greatest moment since 1966, somehow ends as the worst yet: a 2-1 defeat to Argentina that should never have happened.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey ceded the initiative, ceded the pitch, ceded the space around their box and – finally – ceded the game. The decision to go to five at the back as early as the second-half hydration break – in the 67th minute – was inexplicable at the time and now feels like it will go down as one of the most confounding moments in English football history.Thomas Tuchel cost England a place in the World Cup final (PA)The hydration break saw the floodgates open for England. The criticism will rightly be scathing. There might not have been an actual trophy on the line, as in the Euro 2020 final, but the self-inflected collapse feels all the more needless and consequently much worse.Gareth Southgate never did this…AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt only fosters the sense that it’s just never going to happen.Is this sackable? All that money… for this?It is honestly remarkable that a coach appointed for his tactical acumen, for his perceived ability to get over the line, actually forces England further away from it with a response that was pure football cowardice.Tuchel’s pure football cowardice was the decisive factor (PA Wire)And Argentina were left celebrating a place in the final (Getty)Sure, England might not have beaten Spain in the final… but it would have been nice to give themselves the chance.Instead, Tuchel’s decision actively reduced the team’s chances. It neutered every advantage that England had over Argentina, from their pace to their greater athleticism.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAt a moment when England had the lead and all momentum, the manager bizarrely went for what he did in the last-16 match against Mexico.Except, England had 11 men on the pitch. And Argentina are not Mexico. They have the greatest player in history, who now still has the chance to win his second World Cup.A semi-final against England was not, ultimately, to be Lionel Messi’s last game in the competition.Messi will now play in his second straight World Cup final (Getty)Far from being the worst thing that Argentina could have imagined, it was somehow worse than anything England could have feared. There was somehow a new way to lose.The worst part is that didn’t come from Messi being on his best form and making it happen.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe had been a distant force for most of the game, only ever flicking at the match and struggling to cover the expanse of the England half, but Tuchel’s inexplicable shift allow him to have the ball in the most dangerous area.Of course, it was Messi that suppled the assists for both Argentina goals, even if one was a simple pass for a rocket.That was just as bad, though. Enzo