Thomas Tuchel has no regrets despite England’s World Cup heartbreak against Argentina
Thomas Tuchel refused to second-guess his tactics or substitutions after England’s World Cup dream was dashed by Argentina’s stunning late comeback, insisting he has “no regrets” despite a painful 2-1 semi-final defeat.
England were within minutes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 before Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez struck in the closing stages to send Lionel Messi’s Argentina have advanced to Sunday’s final against Spain. While criticism quickly followed Tuchel’s tactical changes, the England boss insisted he would make the same decisions again.
England vs Argentina, FIFA World Cup 2026: Highlighting
In an interview with the BBC after the match, Tuchel accepted responsibility for the result but believed that England produced one of their best performances of the tournament.
“You can discuss it with a million coaches, but I have to make a decision on the pitch,” Tuchel said.
“I analyzed the game and I did it in a certain way, so it’s my responsibility. I have no regrets at this moment. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be 1-0 up.”
The German also felt England’s display deserved more than a heartbreaking exit.
“We played one of our better games, maybe our best game under the circumstances. The team was top notch, we couldn’t get over the line but we have no regrets.”
Anthony Gordon’s well taken goal midway through the second half steered England to a famous victory. But instead of pushing for a second, the Three Lions gradually pulled back and allowed Argentina to dominate possession before finally finding a breakthrough through Fernandez in the 85th minute. Martinez then completed the turnaround in stoppage time with a header from Messi’s cross.
TUCHEL DEFENDS HIS DECISION
The German manager’s change and move to a back five immediately became the main topic of discussion after the final whistle, but Tuchel insisted the changes were a reaction to Argentina’s increasing control rather than simply trying to defend the lead.
“We are disappointed, we were so close but we were too passive when we scored and missed a lot of chances,” he said.
“We couldn’t convert possession and then we got so many crosses, chances and shots. We were close but we couldn’t keep up the level after we scored.”
Explaining the tactical move, Tuchel said England were trying to deal with Argentina’s aerial threat.
“We decided to go to the back five because the gaps were too open. They won every header, kept crossing and crossing, so we went to the back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air.”
He also dismissed suggestions that the introduction of more attacking players would change the result.
“Obviously we wanted to go for the second goal, but it doesn’t help if you can’t get the ball. We couldn’t get out.”
“Obviously the onus is on the coach and when it doesn’t go well it’s easy to say it was wrong.
“We overcame EVERY OBSTACLE”
Despite the disappointment, Tuchel urged people not to judge England’s campaign by just one difficult evening.
“I think we saw the mentality throughout the game and a strong group,” he said.
“We played against strong teams in the group, we traveled a lot of miles, we played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle.
He admitted the defeat was still too fresh for any wider assessment of England’s tournament.
“We were very close today. There is no time to analyze the whole tournament, we just left because we lost a key match.”
England will now face France in the play-off for third place, while Tuchel’s decisions will continue to be debated. But the England boss remains convinced his side have done enough to reach the final and has no intention of looking back with regret.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
Jul 16, 2026 03:59 IST