Thomas Tuchel has been urged to leave his position as England manager after his tactical changes were blamed for the country’s painful World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
England appeared to be closing in on their first men’s World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute at Atlanta Stadium.
Instead of building on that advantage, England gradually retreated and allowed Argentina to take complete control of the contest.
Enzo Fernández equalised with a powerful long-range strike in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martínez headed home Lionel Messi’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time to complete a dramatic 2-1 comeback.
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O’Hara calls for immediate dismissal
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara placed the responsibility firmly on Tuchel following the final whistle.
According to talkSPORT’s account of his post-match reaction, O’Hara described the decision to protect the narrow lead as a sackable offence.
“Sack him now, embarrassing,” O’Hara said.
The former Premier League player argued that Tuchel had lost his nerve by introducing defenders while England were still leading.
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Goalscorer Gordon was replaced by Ezri Konsa before Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly were also introduced as England moved into a five-man defence.
The changes left Harry Kane increasingly isolated and removed much of England’s threat on the counterattack.
Argentina take complete control
As described by Sky Sports in its match report, England recorded only 12 per cent possession between Gordon’s opening goal and Martínez’s winner.
Tuchel’s side also failed to register a single touch inside Argentina’s penalty area after taking the lead.
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Argentina repeatedly attacked England’s increasingly crowded defensive line, hitting the woodwork twice before Fernández finally found the equaliser.
Lionel Scaloni took the opposite approach from Tuchel, introducing more attacking players as his team searched for a way back into the match. One of those substitutes, Martínez, ultimately scored the winning goal.
Tuchel admits England became passive
Tuchel defended the reasoning behind his changes but accepted that England had allowed the momentum to shift too far in Argentina’s favour.
“We were so close, but we got too passive after we scored,” he said.
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The England manager explained that he had moved to a back five because Argentina were finding too much space and repeatedly threatening from crosses.
However, the adjustment failed to provide the defensive security he had hoped for. England instead became pinned inside their own half and were unable to relieve the pressure.
Despite calls for his dismissal, Sky Sports later reported that Tuchel intends to remain England manager.
The German extended his contract earlier in 2026 and is currently due to lead England into the European Championship on home soil in 2028.
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Whether the Football Association continues to support him after such a damaging defeat is likely to become one of the central questions surrounding the national team once the World Cup has concluded.
