Thomas Tuchel: How England unravelled after Ezri Konsa substitution as familiar failings rob Three Lions of World Cup final place
England were on verge of first World Cup final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon fired Three Lions ahead against Argentina in Atlanta; Ezri Konsa's arrival only exasperats England's defensive inclinations as World Cup 2026 ends in heartbreak
Thursday 16 July 2026 01:04, UK
Thomas Tuchel was England's gambler. A squad few others would have picked. A backs-to-the-wall win over Mexico. Starting Morgan Rogers based on "a feeling from the coach".
But ultimately, one bet too many from the head coach cost the Three Lions their place in a World Cup final.
The stage was set to write history. A first-half where Lionel Messi barely left Elliot Anderson's pocket, and England refused to be drawn into Argentina's provocation.
The first draft was being written when Anthony Gordon fired home from 10 minutes into the second period from Rogers' cross - vindicating the latest of Tuchel's gut instincts. Football felt like it might actually be coming home.
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But in seven short minutes, everything fell apart. In reality, it all hung on one moment. Ezri Konsa's introduction and England's withdrawal to a back five with more than 20 minutes to play against the reigning World Cup champions is easy to criticise in hindsight, but it felt just as questionable the moment Gordon was called back to the bench.
Where Tuchel promised things would be different, we have all seen this one before. England's natural inclination to hold onto a lead - and various incidences of them failing to do so - was one of the sternest criticisms of Gareth Southgate's era but has dogged them far longer.
England have now led in eight of the last 13 knock-out games they have lost at major tournaments in the last 30 years.
It felt depressingly familiar as they saw just 17 per cent of the ball and had nine touches in the Argentina half in the quarter of an hour after Gordon's goal which inspired Tuchel to introduce Konsa. The freeze had begun to set in, though Nico Gonzalez's header aside the World Cup holders had still had not forced Jordan Pickford into a meaningful save.
Sure, something needed to be done. Tuchel's leadership was needed to see through the noise and gauge the mood of what his side needed, making the unenviable choices which had to that point served him well.
England had appointed him as a winner. At half-time of the opening game of the tournament he told his players: "I don't care if you lose, so long as you lose playing our way." But this betrayed that courage of his conviction, as he, like his players, looked to hold on to what England had instead of backing them to refind themselves and kill the game.
Not only did that simple change in shape and personnel exasperate England's defensive inclinations, it simultaneously robbed them of their most direct out ball by removing Gordon - their most in-form forward beyond Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
Between Konsa's introduction and Lautaro Martinez's winner in the 93rd minute, the Three Lions' possession dropped to 7.2 per cent. They managed only seven passes in the opposition half and failed to deliver a single cross, with Tuchel's initial game plan to exploit Argentina's lack of width totally stifled by his own methods.
They handed the ball to a team with the best player of all time itching to get on it. To a team who knows how to seize the moment. If Argentina's comeback was not inevitable from that point, it was certainly predictable.
"We were too passive after we scored," Tuchel eventually admitted. Shortly after his appointment last year he had criticised England's Euro 2024 campaign, saying Southgate and his squad had been "more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the excitement and hunger to win it". You wonder whether he might have similar reflections on this performance in the cold light of day.
Wave after wave of Argentina attacks followed Konsa's arrival. England had no way out. Kane had seemingly still not recovered from running himself into the ground at the Azteca nine days ago, while Rogers had just a single touch between the change in shape and Martinez's winner. As mentioned, Gordon could only watch on from the bench.
Beyond that, Konsa failed to win possession back for his side in the 29 minutes he was on the pitch, did not compete for a single header - and lost the ball five times.
Tuchel has previously realised when his changes are not having the desired effect and had the bravery to switch things around.
Bellingham dropped back into midfield before returning to No 10 against Norway when his influence was nullified, but here the head coach appeared as frozen as his players - bringing on Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly to further shore up the defence instead of choosing more attacking alternatives when it was long clear the tide was turning against his side.
Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney got four minutes to make a difference from the bench. Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins were not even afforded that.
Captain Kane refused to criticise Tuchel's tactics after the game but made his feelings clear enough when speaking to BBC Sport. "At this level, holding on isn't enough," he said wryly.
Perhaps Tuchel had been emboldened by the way England masterfully saw out victory with 10 men at the Azteca barely a week ago. But that would be naive against incomparable opponents.
Mexico had made their intentions clear after England were reduced to 10 men that they would send balls into the box - and it played into the Three Lions' hands.
Conversely, Argentina had one of the greatest players of all time ready to strike. And that he did, making both of Argentina's goals..
Tuchel was employed to take things to the next level. Under Southgate, England beat the teams they were meant to beat and came unstuck when they were underdogs. In that regard, nothing has changed.
In time it may be easier to reflect on how that rousing half-time intervention against Croatia, some bold attacking changes and one well-timed defensive intervention promised hope that Tuchel's in-game management might prove the missing piece of the puzzle sadly lacking through the previous regime. Perhaps it will at Euro 2028.
It is a painful irony that instead it is one throw of the dice too far, and a reversion to the football Tuchel had promised to end which will now haunt him, and England, for at least the next two years.
