Player discontent over defensive retreat
BBC Sport understands that at least three senior England players have privately complained about the team's negative approach in the closing stages of their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Thomas Tuchel's side led 1-0 with 35 minutes left in Atlanta, but a clear shift in momentum saw them concede twice and crash out of the FIFA World Cup.
A clutch of key players were left disappointed at how the team set up after taking the lead, with a sense among some that Tuchel’s switch to a back‑five invited relentless pressure. A source told BBC Sport:
"They went too deep too early."
While ceding ground when defending a lead is a natural instinct, there is believed to be a consensus that Tuchel’s tactical switches and substitutions exacerbated the retreat. Certain players feel they should have had greater licence to press Argentina away from goal, rather than simply clearing their lines and regrouping in a deep block.
Tuchel: 'Not in our DNA to control the game'
Tuchel has hit back at criticism of his tactics, instead pointing to a deeper issue within English football.
"It was never the plan to drop deeper and deeper,"the German said in fresh comments given to British newspapers.
"It’s maybe not in our DNA … to control the game and ball."
He insisted he is "100 per cent" committed to leading England into the next European Championship in two years’ time, and that his formation was not wrong. Former England captain Wayne Rooney was scathing, saying the defeat "started from the manager and the decisions he made".
What next for England?
With Tuchel staying on, the tactical fallout will shape the conversation around his reign. The manager will need to rebuild trust among key players ahead of the next tournament, while addressing the perceived mental block his side displayed when trying to protect a lead.
The post‑mortem on another near miss for the men’s team will also intensify scrutiny on the English game’s identity—exactly the debate Tuchel appears to have ignited with his "DNA" remark.
