England players furious with Tuchel’s late-game changes

England’s World Cup run ended in bitter fashion after a 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina, and Thomas Tuchel’s late changes have drawn strong criticism inside the dressing room as well as outside it.

According to The Telegraph and other English reports, several players were stunned by the German coach’s decisions in the closing stages. England led through Anthony Gordon until the 85th minute, but goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez turned the game around.

The main complaints centre on Tuchel’s substitutions. Gordon was taken off despite being England’s most dangerous outlet on the counter-attack, while Declan Rice and Reece James were also replaced by Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and O’Reilly. The changes left England deeper, less balanced and increasingly reliant on defending crosses.

Tuchel later said he had switched back to a five-man defence to deal with Argentina’s wide play, but admitted England waited too long before making attacking changes after the second goal. Marc Guéhi also criticised the team’s approach, saying England should have kept pushing rather than sitting back after going ahead.