‘I have to make a decision’

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Thomas Tuchel defended his players and said he “tried to help” England’s players after the Three Lions’ second-half scorn in their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina in Atlanta.

After Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute drive, Tuchel’s substitution ensured the Three Lions had six defenders on the pitch as Enzo Fernandez scored from distance five minutes from normal time and Lautaro Martinez headed in the winner in the 92nd minute.

“The responsibility is on the coach,” Tuchel told BBC Sport after his first defeat in the competition as an international manager.

“If it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say that there was a mistake, you can discuss it with a million coaches and I have to make a decision on the field, that’s how I analyze the game and I made a decision.”

2026 World Cup: How England were ‘open’ against Argentina

Lionel Messi scored both goals as Argentina progressed to the final against Spain in New Jersey on Sunday (20:00 BST).

“We were very close but we were very quiet after we scored, we gave up many chances and we couldn’t respond with the ball,” said Tuchel.

“We could not maintain the level after scoring the goal [made attacking] instead of [previous] games. We just tried to help the players.

“We decided to go to the back five because the spaces were very open. [Argentina] won every title; they kept crossing and crossing. We couldn’t get out.

“We weren’t winning balls, we couldn’t keep the ball, it wasn’t a structural problem, nothing changed after the goal but the game changed completely.

“I understand that these discussions exist and, of course, [there are] millions of coaches know better after the game.”

England vs Argentina: Tuchel hails ‘excellent game’

Tuchel took over at the start of 2025 with a desire to win the World Cup. “For now, there are no regrets,” said the 2020/21 Champions League winner as Chelsea manager.

“The team gave everything and we were very close, we deserved to be beaten 1-0 [and] we played one of our best games – maybe our best game, under the circumstances.

“The game was difficult and we couldn’t get past the line.”

The German said he “didn’t have an answer” when asked if the fans saw England playing the way he liked, adding that he “didn’t really know what that meant”.

“We saw the attitude during the game and the team,” he suggested, calling the group’s opponents Croatia, Ghana and Panama “tough”.

“We played [while travelling] many miles. We played on a high pitch, with 10 men [both against Mexico in the last 16]in the heat.

“We overcame all the obstacles. Now is not the time to analyze the whole competition. We have just come out because we lost in an important game.”