Thomas Tuchel defends substitutions made during England’s World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina, saying his team were “waiting for death” as they struggled to contain their opponents’ late attacking pressure.
England looked set to take the win after Anthony Gordon hit them first, but Argentina had the chance to change the tide with goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez in the final moments to secure their goal in the final.
As England lost their lead, Tuchel was criticised for making defensive changes. The England manager, however, strongly refuted this claim, saying that Argentina had made their changes for a reason and it was the situation they had found themselves in that had caused his side’s problems.
The German coach has admitted he made changes after he saw England disorganised to lose possession and not defend well in their current configuration.
One of the key reasons he was thinking was a dangerous opportunity Argentina set up just before they planned to take a water break. The match was a catalyst for Tuchel to think that England should build up the backline and not stick to their current shape.
Tuchel remembered that he thought, “We are not going to make it. It is “waiting for death”.
The manager also drew on the fact that England have won two games in the past, one against Mexico and one against Norway, and they had deployed five defenders. Those previous shows had an impact on him that led him to believe that he could use a structure that would help him to shield the lead.
Tuchel admitted the game was a highly emotional one for England, admitting “nobody wanted England to win more than me”. He also rejected the notion that he would need to make different substitutions to get a different result.
England are now ready to move on from a poor World Cup campaign as Tuchel is expected to announce his squad for the country’s first games following the tournament.
