Will Thomas Tuchel have to rebuild trust after England World Cup exit?
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England manager Thomas Tuchel throwing up his arms in despair during their World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina on July 15.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON – Thomas Tuchel is already looking forward to a home European Championship in 2028 after England’s bitter World Cup exit. But will he have to earn back the trust of his players?
The England boss has been heavily criticised for his defensive substitutions in the 2-1 semi-final defeat by Argentina in Atlanta on July 15, accused of ceding control to Lionel Messi’s team.
Anthony Gordon put England on track for their first World Cup final since 1966, but late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the match around in a dramatic finish.
Tuchel – appointed to make bold, game-changing calls in the biggest moments – failed his biggest test as his team folded under intense Argentinian pressure.
Defender Marc Guehi suggested England should have remained on the front foot after scoring.
“We should have carried on, we should have carried on pushing,” he said. “It kind of felt like we scored and then the mentality was go back, defend.”
Captain Harry Kane also questioned his side’s approach but refused to point the finger at Tuchel’s game management.
Ex-players and pundits were more direct, expressing widespread astonishment at his tactics.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney told the BBC that the Three Lions had been “too passive” while ex-England international Chris Sutton said it had been a “coaching catastrophe”.
“He was negative, so the question which I’m going to ask is: ‘How can you trust Thomas Tuchel to take this team forward?’,” said Sutton.
Despite the manner of England’s defeat, Tuchel is understood to retain the backing of the Football Association. It appointed him in October 2024 to succeed Gareth Southgate.
“It is heartbreaking to be so close,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. “The players and Thomas gave it everything today and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament. I would like to thank them all and also give my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home.”
The blunt and charismatic Tuchel, 52, was hired with a reputation as a tactical wizard to get England over the line at a major championship, after a string of agonising near-misses under Southgate.
But the 2026 tournament has ended in familiar, heartbreaking fashion.
The German, however, felt the issues that led to the defeat and another England World Cup exit were much more fundamental.
“In this moment, my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us,” he said.
“I think ball possession plays a crucial role. It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian, Brazilian DNA to take the ball and control the game with the ball.”
Tuchel’s initial contract took him up until the end of the 2026 World Cup, but he subsequently signed a new deal keeping him in the job until the 2028 Euro, which will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss is already looking forward, even though England still have to face France in a third-place play-off in Miami on July 18.
“There is still a match to play,” he said. “Of course then we keep on going.
“I have a contract until the home Euros and I’m looking forward to that, even like now it’s difficult to look that far ahead.”
The England camp have been a largely happy one during the World Cup – highlighted when Tuchel danced with his players in the rosy afterglow of their impressive 3-2 win over Mexico in the last 16.
But the tournament is ending on a sour note and Tuchel must address pressing questions, including defensive issues and an over-reliance on Kane, who will turn 33 on July 28. AFP, REUTERS
