Angry at 'absurd claims': England veterans react to Thomas Tuchel "Because of the players?"... The early 5-back tactic is "like handing the ball to Messi"

*This content was translated by AI.

England's veteran players expressed strong dissatisfaction with head coach Thomas Tuchel's (53) extreme defensive tactics after their defeat to Argentina.

The UK's 'The Sun' reported on the 17th (Korean time) that "England's veteran players were completely unsatisfied with the tactical decisions made by Coach Tuchel in the World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina."

On the 16th, England lost 1-2 to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup semifinal held at Atlanta Stadium in the United States. This dashed England's dream of reaching the final for the first time since their 1966 home tournament victory after 60 years.

England took the lead with an early goal by Anthony Gordon. However, immediately after scoring, Coach Tuchel substituted out Gordon, Reece James, and Declan Rice, bringing on Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, and Nico O'Riley to drop the defensive line.

With their attack weakened, England completely lost control of the match against Argentina. They eventually conceded an equalizer from Enzo Fernández's long-range shot and then suffered a header goal from Lautaro Martínez, who received Lionel Messi's cross, leading to their elimination.

Rob Dowsett of UK 'Sky Sports' stated, "Honestly, many England players, especially some veterans, were dissatisfied with Coach Tuchel's decisions."

He continued, "Players were unhappy with Tuchel's extreme defensive tactic of switching to a 5-back formation and bringing on O'Riley. The decision to deploy six defenders, including five center-backs, in the final stages of the match ultimately amounted to handing the ball to Messi."

In fact, Harry Kane expressed his dejected mood in a post-match interview: "We were just rushing to defend. That alone is not enough at the World Cup level. I feel extremely frustrated."

However, Coach Tuchel himself placed some responsibility for the defeat on the players, stating, "The players dropped too deep compared to what was instructed."

Meanwhile, England, who failed to reach the final, will face France in the third-place playoff. England has lost both of their previous third-place matches (against Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018). A victory in this match would secure their second-best-ever finish, placing them third.

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*This content was translated by AI.