England 1-2 Argentina: Gary Neville says he will not 'lump in' on Thomas Tuchel as Three Lions issues rear their head once again
England were beaten 2-1 by Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday; Thomas Tuchel has faced scrutiny for his tactics and substitutions; Gary Neville touched on the Three Lions boss' future, the age-old England issues and Cristian Romero's response to Neville's criticism
Thursday 16 July 2026 14:38, UK
Gary Neville says he will not "lump in" on the criticisms of Thomas Tuchel after England's World Cup exit to Argentina, adding that he never expected the team to win the tournament.
The Three Lions boss has come under intense scrutiny for his tactics and substitutions in Atlanta, especially after Anthony Gordon had given England the lead early in the second half.
The new Barcelona winger was taken off in the 72nd minute for Ezri Konsa as Tuchel's side continued to drop deeper under Argentinian pressure. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez eventually scored twice to send the World Cup holders into Sunday's final against Spain.
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- Harry Kane: Holding on was not enough against Argentina
- England player ratings: Spence shines but big guns fail to deliver
- Report | As it happened | Teams | Stats | Knockout bracket
However, Neville had a more balanced approach than some to England's exit, and pointed to years of similar issues once again playing their part - including when he was a player.
He told Sky Sports News: "A sobering night for England, but it's been a good tournament. Fans will be extremely disappointed but I never had us winning the tournament from the beginning.
"Maybe the optimists amongst us thought we were going to win, but I never felt we were. I thought getting to the semi-final is an incredible achievement.
"The reality of it is some of the same patterns emerged that have happened with England in tournaments gone by over the last 20 to 30 years.
"Tuchel chose to try and win the game in the same way he did with 10 men against Mexico, where we were resolute, resilient, tight, compact and got over the line.
"He tried to do the same thing in seeing the game out, but there was an avalanche of pressure with great crosses and we just got done by quality and the second goal is magnificent from [Lionel] Messi with the quality that he has.
"It's something England teams have been guilty of so often. I don't know how you change it. I went to eight tournaments as a player or coach - five of them we were knocked out on penalties. Many of them ended up sagging back on our own box very deep, not on the front foot. The very opposite of what English football is.
"All I can put it down to - and I've experienced what a lot of those England players did last night - is your legs get heavy, you start to come under pressure, protecting your lead, you think you can get over the line by keeping a clean sheet and keeping the ball out of your net, rather than thinking more positively about how you can counter-attack and score the second goal.
"These are patterns that have emerged time and time again. All of us who have played for England are guilty of it, so the idea of me lumping in on Tuchel just isn't going to happen.
"I was just as big a part of the problem as the lads who played last night that sunk deep into our own box. It's something in our psyche, something we've done that puts pressure on ourselves and we've been knocked out of tournaments so many times in this way. It's not good enough.
"We haven't got enough technical ability to play through the middle third. The players at the other elite countries have the ability to keep the ball under possession in the highest pressure of matches. Then you add that little bit of stardust like Messi, you get over the line. We haven't been able to do that.
"It wasn't the greatest of nights for Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. They had quiet nights by their standards. That second goal could come from a little bit of magic, those difference makers. That's what you're looking for on a night like that."
Should questions be asked over Tuchel's future?
While Sky Sports pundit Neville does not believe Tuchel should leave, he did point out some of the mistakes the German made and could reflect on ahead of the next major tournament in 2028.
Neville added: "I don't think about his future. I think the pressure for his decision-making is legitimate, he tried to win it in a certain way.
"The majority will disagree with the way he approached that... He will get criticism because he was the big ticket manager to be the difference maker and gamechanger in the tight moments - the fine lines of international football where it's on penalties, or a substitution or the last five minutes of a World Cup semi-final.
"He was brought in to be the person who was able to deal with that and he hasn't got over the line, so he will come under pressure.
"But I never expected England to win this tournament. I didn't think they were good enough. They've been slightly fortunate that they've played some teams along the way as well that were favourable. So the first time they came up against a team who had elite experience of keeping the ball, they've fallen at that first fence of playing against an elite team.
"Ultimately, I don't believe we keep the ball in the biggest matches in the most important moments. It's been a fault of England for many years.
"And the squad Tuchel picked was a counter-attacking squad. He took out the technical players like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton and he didn't play Kobbie Mainoo.
"Not to bring on Mainoo to try and get a grip of the game and not bring on Bukayo Saka or Marcus Rashford for some pace was a mistake. I think he'll regret that, but he'll know that and reflect on that himself."
Does Neville still stand by Romero comments after 'stupid' claim?
Neville caught the attention of Argentina and Tottenham defender Cristian Romero after Wednesday's game. He called the Sky Sports pundit 'stupid' for criticising his centre-back pairing with Lisandro Martinez, with the Sky Sports pundit having called them the 'best-worst centre-half pairing in the world'.
Romero told DSports: "The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid. Hopefully I won't criticise a player or anyone."
It was only fair for the former Manchester United full back to have his reply, and he told Sky Sports News: "Just to add extra words to what I said: they give goals away. They've conceded six goals in four knockout matches.
"Those two should hug Messi every single day because he's had to pull them out of the mire when they conceded two against Egypt, two against Cape Verde and one against England.
"But I did go onto say they are incredible, and their force of nature of how they go and win the game for their country - they go from the sublime to the ridiculous... they go and win every attacking header in the penalty box and sometimes in the defensive box.
"Romero played in a team last year who nearly got relegated in the Premier League and conceded 65 goals, so I think I know what I'm talking about when I watch a player.
"Romero is very talented, so is Lisandro Martinez, but they do make mistakes, lots of them and they have conceded goals.
"I just see a contradiction in games between them. He's relatively young, Romero, so he's not an experienced defender yet and he's had incredible achievements. He's won a World Cup. But without Lionel Messi last night and the last two tournaments... Argentina didn't win last night because of their centre-backs. They won because of arguably the greatest player of all time."
