England's World Cup week review: Norway win followed by heartbreak & Tuchel criticism

[p][b]Five weeks later, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] have crashed out to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] in the semi-finals after not learning anything from that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] win. [/b][/p][p]In the crucial moment, Thomas Tuchel's men retreated into their shells and were asked to be beaten instead of punishing an Argentina team there for the taking. With the opportunity to go in for the kill, Tuchel decided to lie down and make England prey yet again - history repeated. The 'nearly men' tag will now haunt them for four more years, and much of the blame lies at Tuchel's cowardly door.[/p][embed guid="423fe8f1-c27f-44ef-a98d-3290714b3157" url="https://x.com/Footballtweet/status/2077511709204316342" social-type="twitter" /][p]Instead of saying this is our time and finally showing some courage when it was needed most, Tuchel did the exact opposite of what he was appointed to do. He subbed off all of England's attacking threat to protect a 1-0 lead, despite recent major tournament history screaming at him to do the complete opposite. England supporters who backed Tuchel and believed he would make the right decision in the tournament-defining moments will feel betrayed by his baffling substitutions and negative approach.  [/p][p]After all, this is the same man who said this after England's 4-2 win against Croatia:[b] “Defensively, we dropped a little too deep from a middle block into a low block and deep block, which is in itself not a problem, but we went a bit too early. We were a bit too man-man-focused and didn’t rely enough on our structure to push out again.[/b][/p][p]“If you just look at the goal that we conceded, we played a back seven formation, which is just not us. Maybe it is good that we conceded, because it just tells us: ‘Let’s not do this again.’ It makes no sense, it’s not us, it doesn’t play to our strengths."[/p][p]It is quite remarkable how Tuchel could say that and weeks later contradict himself in every sense of the word. The fallout and inquest into this defeat will rage on for some time. However, with all indications suggesting the German isn't going anywhere, at some point, the conversation will surely become: Can Tuchel learn from this failure or is this a sign of what is to come?[/p][h2]England beat Norway unconvincingly[/h2][p]Before we get into how it all went wrong in the final 30 minutes of England's campaign, the Three Lions began their final week of the tournament with an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/england-j9N9ZNFA/norway-8rP6JO0H/?mid=UyLHmWuh"]unconvincing quarter-final win[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a]. Despite an encouraging opening 25 minutes in terms of possession at least, England fell behind through a 36th-minute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schjelderup-andreas/SEp0z7ho/"]Andreas Schjelderup[/a] cross-come-shot that flew into the top corner. [/p][p]England responded swiftly after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gordon-anthony/EFo95m2P/"]Anthony Gordon[/a] did well to find [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bellingham-jude/QNvlPm7s/"]Jude Bellingham,[/a] and as he has done all tournament, England's talisman brilliantly drove into the box and found the bottom corner. It was another world-class moment in a tournament where Bellingham has announced himself as one of the world's best players. [/p][image alt="Jude Bellingham's World Cup stats" id="c888a22f-be7b-4ecb-ae13-b3f6a730dea3" credit-line="StatsPerform via Opta / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters / Nathan Ray Seebeck" guid="31a9e1b6-195c-444e-80a8-0d50db1b4cb3" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Tuchel still had it all to do at the break to inspire England to improve their attacking intent and find the crucial second goal. In all honesty, the level of attacking threat didn't improve in the second half, and if anything, the Three Lions were fortunate to force extra-time after Norway pressed for a winning goal themselves.[/p][p]England found themselves sitting back once again and inviting pressure onto themselves.[/p][p]A key factor for that was Tuchel's bizarre decision to sub off defensive midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rice-declan/zkQ8Cm6n/"]Declan Rice[/a] for attacking midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eze-eberechi/Stf4BYFn/"]Eberechi Eze[/a]. In that one tactical change, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/anderson-elliott/KdYCbsbE/"]Elliot Anderson[/a] was left all alone in the centre of the pitch, and Norway had so much space to run into. Tuchel rectified his error by bringing on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-reece/nLBC7ERa/"]Reece James[/a] for Gordon just past 70' and dropping Bellingham into midfield. [/p][p]It was a naive error from a man who prides himself on being a tactically acute coach. And if we are honest, if Norway took a few gilt-edged chances then it would and maybe should have been curtains for England. [/p][p]As it was, England were able to force extra-time and all of a sudden Norway looked tired.[/p][p]England clearly had the upper hand once more.[/p][p]So when Bellingham reacted quickest to fire England ahead after a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rogers-morgan/lp4jm80n/"]Morgan Rogers[/a] shot was parried, it had been coming. England will feel aggrieved not to have had a penalty to add some security to their lead, but in all honesty, Norway's attacking threat had long since died and Tuchel's side at last felt somewhat comfortable. [/p][p]So a victory and a clash against old foes Argentina in the semi-finals had been secured, but Tuchel had got away with murder with his substitutions. Surely he wouldn't make that mistake again, right?[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][h2]England crash out against Argentina after dramatic late comeback[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/argentina-f9OppQjp/england-j9N9ZNFA/?mid=pKVyGJbD"]Heading to a fascinating showdown[/a] against arch-rivals Argentina in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a]'s first game against the Three Lions, England knew improvements were needed if they were to book a spot in the final. And in terms of structure out of possession, there were improvements from the second half against Norway. On the ball was more of the same, however. Aside from the Croatia game at the start of the tournament, England failed to look like a coherent attacking unit all World Cup. [/p][p]Both the left and right wingers (whether it be [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/madueke-chukwunonso/Ac57P9Pt/"]Noni Madueke[/a] and Gordon or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saka-bukayo/08NLEo06/"]Bukayo Saka[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rashford-marcus/COnT2Lh0/"]Marcus Rashford[/a]) struggled to make an impact in the tournament. Gordon grew into the tournament, but the other three were incredibly quiet, resulting in an overreliance on moments of quality from Bellingham and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kane-harry/v5HSlEAa/"]Harry Kane[/a] to rescue England. [/p][p]And it was the same old story against Argentina. Tuchel's side might not have looked like conceding, but they also weren't causing Lionel Scaloni's side any concerns. That was until they did.[/p][p]Rogers did brilliantly in his unusual role on the right wing to create space and whip in a dangerous cross, and Gordon was in the right place at the right time to tap home. [/p][p]The goal came in the 55th minute, so England had 35 minutes to hold and protect a fragile lead or do what Tuchel promised he would do before the tournament and during it - kill the game off.[/p][p]35 minutes is a long, long time in football, so surely it was way too early to shut up shop, especially considering England's approach to take the game to Argentina had been working. Leaving Messi time and space to create by backing off also felt like an amateur mistake. [/p][p]So when England retreated into a deep low block and asked Argentina to break them down, not only were they surrendering their control of the game but also their best chance of creating a vital security goal. If you were inclined to give Tuchel the benefit of the doubt and say the players were to blame for going into their shells, then you would quickly reconsider when the England coach made his substitutions. [/p][p]The first sub was the most baffling as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konsa-ezri/4CQLQWTa/"]Ezri Konsa[/a] replaced Gordon. A centre-back on for a left winger. But the negative subs didn't end there as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-reilly-nico/xOrYaNWc/"]Nico O'Reilly[/a] came on for Rice and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/burn-dan/fyP3wtr0/"]Dan Burn[/a] replaced James in the 82nd minute. In a 10-minute window, Tuchel had left England with no out ball.[/p][p]It became a Mexico backs-against-the-wall finale but this time, for absolutely no logical reason. England had the measure of Argentina and, most importantly, had kept Messi quiet for the first hour of the game. [/p][image alt="England vs Argentina match stats" id="1132f0ae-d909-4908-8488-3ecc8512d22a" credit-line="StatsPerform via Opta" guid="985736af-205e-4c64-b35e-8f2efe3810d1" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]And as England retreated further and further back, it gave Messi all the time and space in the world to create mayhem and, in the most inevitable fashion possible, the magician did exactly that. In a heartbreaking seven minutes for Tuchel's side, they went from the brink of their first World Cup final since 1966 to yet another semi-final exit as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-enzo/nZnbEVWP/"]Enzo Fernandez[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-lautaro/QHk1CXUh/"]Lautaro Martinez[/a] made Tuchel pay for his cowardice. [/p][p]Two clinical finishes and the cross from Messi for the winning goal are exactly why he is the greatest of all time. But history will look back on England vs Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final as the game that England threw away. It was there for the taking, and instead of finally leaving behind the ghosts that have long haunted England, it proved to be the latest chapter in an epic novel of heartbreak and a sense of underachievement at major tournaments. [/p][h2]Tuchel throws players under the bus[/h2][p]At the very least, Tuchel had a chance to earn back some respect from those who felt let down by a coach they had backed to the hilt. All he had to do was take full responsibility and accept he got it wrong. His reaction to the exit was many things, but taking accountability was not one of them. Instead, the German manager decided to throw his players under the bus. [/p][p][b]"We got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances. We were close but couldn't keep the level up after we scored. I am the coach and I take responsibility.[/b][/p][p]"Straight after our goal, we just conceded way too many crosses. No regrets, the team gave everything and we deserved to be 1-0 up. We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match."[/p][embed guid="417ea476-be03-4cb0-9275-540ad5ac06eb" url="https://x.com/footballontnt/status/2078074942864719996" social-type="twitter" /][p]Whilst Tuchel does say he takes responsibility, the tone directly after the match and in the days that followed (including questioning England's 'DNA') was one of a man who blames his players for not delivering on his instructions.[/p][p]Now it has to be said that Tuchel isn't entirely wrong.[/p][p]He should have admitted he was wrong for inviting Argentina on and doing nothing to change the direction of a game he knew was heading in Argentina's favour. [/p][p]However, there is truth in the fact that when England have an opportunity to do something special in major tournaments, they mentally sit back every single time. We saw it against Croatia in the 2018 semi-final and again in the last two EUROs finals against Italy and Spain. England find comfort in going into their shells and almost praying they get away with it. [/p][p]If they are ever to break this cycle of failure, they need to be brave and jump face-first into uncharted waters. Instead of fearing the worst, they need to take control of their destiny. Then, and only then, do they have a chance of finally ending over 60 years of hurt.[/p][h2]England beat France to take third place[/h2][p]Despite it being an insane [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/england-j9N9ZNFA/france-QkGeVG1n/?mid=b9l0F3Bj"]6-4 thriller in England's favour[/a], there is only one takeaway from England's third-place bronze medal win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a]: Playing with freedom suits this England side.[/p][p]Now you can't analyse the game that much because France looked very unbothered in a first half in which England cruised into a 4-0 lead. However, England's counter-attacking at times was thrilling to watch. It was frustrating to see what we should have seen so much more of at the 2026 World Cup. [/p][embed guid="50093223-24f1-44a8-905b-1aecca726b88" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2078600721021255732" social-type="twitter" /][p]When you are a better attacking team than a defensive one, it makes sense to play to those strengths. Tuchel encouraged his side to play with that freedom against Croatia as the order of the day was to push on after Bellingham brilliantly fired England into a 3-2 lead. There was no thought to sit back and invite pressure on themselves or make defensive subs.[/p][p]Against France, Saka and Rashford's pace and end product was brilliant, but they found themselves in those forward areas because of England's front-foot approach. When they went 2-0 up, there was no thought to take their foot off the gas, and before you knew it, England were 4-0 up against France.  [/p][p]In a normal knockout game, France simply wouldn't have got back into the contest in the second half because England would have looked to take all the sting out of the game. If nothing more, Tuchel should see the first half against France as the way to approach EURO 2028. With home support behind them, England would be smart to take games to the opposition and attempt to avoid history repeating itself like a broken record. [/p][h2]Analysis - Tuchel failed to do what he was appointed to do[/h2][p]When the dust settles on England's World Cup campaign, and the anger has subsided, one thing will surely dominate the conversation: Why was Tuchel appointed if not to get the big decisions right in the critical moments? Because Tuchel's subs against Argentina were more negative than anything Southgate did and the former England head coach was heavily criticised for it. [/p][p]The FA and England supporters who believed Tuchel was a smart appointment hoped that in the big moments he would use his experience and track record in knockout football to make street-wise decisions and brave calls. The kind of calls that Southgate wasn't just afraid to make but didn't have the tactical nous to implement effectively. [/p][p]Tuchel set England up with an effective trigger press (at times), and therefore there was no reason he couldn't make positive subs to freshen up the press from the front. If England could have kept winning the ball in Argentina's half and controlling the game (Kobbie Mainoo could have been useful), then the post-match discussion wouldn't once again be centred around Messi's magic and rather on Tuchel's fearless Three Lions heading to a World Cup final. [/p][p]As it is, Tuchel is being criticised in the media, by supporters and by his own players, subtly or otherwise. When the moment came for Tuchel to use all his experience and earn the big bucks, the German got it horribly wrong. [/p][p]And if we are being completely honest, he is lucky to still be in a job. A tournament that deserved to be defined by Bellingham and Kane's heroics inspiring England to greatness has instead been defined by a foreboding sense of what could have been.[/p][p]If only Tuchel had done what he was appointed to do.[/p][infobox id="938dea4e-717b-43a6-9d12-646fc87ad9a9" /]