Tuchel: I Take Responsibility, Understand These Discussions

England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed his disappointment after the team's 2-1 loss to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals, stating that his side was very close to reaching the final.

Thomas Tuchel spoke to BBC One: "We feel disappointed because we were very close, but we became too negative after scoring the goal, allowing them to create many chances."

He added: "We couldn't regain control of the ball, then we faced a large number of crosses, shots, and chances. We were close, but we couldn't maintain the same level after the goal."

Regarding the substitutions made during the match, he said: "I made attacking changes in previous matches as well, and we were just trying to help the players. We conceded a direct chance right after the substitution, so we decided to switch to a five-man defense because the spaces were very open."

He continued: "Argentina won most of the aerial balls and kept sending crosses, so we resorted to a five-man defense to close down spaces and appear stronger in the high balls. Even before the substitutions, we were conceding a large number of crosses and chances, so we tried to find a solution."

The German coach confirmed his responsibility, stating: "The responsibility lies with the coach, of course, and when things are not going well, it’s easy to say my decisions were wrong after a defeat."

Regarding the team's lack of serious pursuit for a second goal, Tuchel explained: "We wanted to score a second goal, but that doesn't help if you can't keep the ball. We couldn't get the ball out as needed."

He emphasized: "I didn't feel that more attacking substitutions would change the situation. We remained in the same formation, 4-4-2, but we became more passive over time. We weren't winning the balls and couldn't retain possession, so I don't think the problem was structural; the match itself changed completely."

He concluded his remarks by saying: "I completely understand these discussions, as after every match, millions of coaches emerge who believe they would have known the better solution."