What was Tuchel thinking?! England made to pay for terrible tactics

England Argentina ratings GFX

Thomas Tuchel threw away England's best chance of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 as the Three Lions allowed Argentina to come from behind to triumph 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday. Tuchel's team selection initially looked set to pay off, as surprise selection Morgan Rogers crossed for Anthony Gordon to break the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half.

However, the German's shockingly negative tactics, which contributed to one of the worst first halves of World Cup football ever seen, eventually caught up with England, not least because Tuchel threw away what initiative his team had by replacing Gordon with Ezri Konsa before then throwing on Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly in a desperate bid to shut up shop.

Argentina's relentless pressure eventually told when Enzo Fernandez fired home from just outside the area, moments after Alexis Mac Allister had struck the post with a header. The latter hit the woodwork again in injury time, but the reigning champions kept coming and, just seconds later, Lionel Messi sent off a delightful cross with his right foot that substitute Lautaro Martinez headed home.

GOAL rates all the England players from Atlanta...

England v Argentina: Semi Final - FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeeper & Defence

Jordan Pickford (5/10):

For all Argentina's possession, he actually had very little to do for the guts of an hour but he made a couple of great saves, including one from Nico Gonzalez, before being beaten all ends up by Enzo Fernandez and then completely caught out by Messi's magnificent cross.

Reece James (7/10):

Brought back into the starting line-up after his impressive cameo against Norway and was solid as a rock throughout before his late withdrawal.

John Stones (5/10):

Such a shame for Stones. He made a number of massive interceptions in the 'final quarter' before completely losing Lautaro for the winner.

Marc Guehi (6/10):

Like Stones, played his part in repelling wave after wave of Argentine attacks in the second half, but couldn't be faulted for either goal.

Djed Spence (7/10):

Fully justified his inclusion ahead of O'Reilly with a fine display, the highlight of which was a crucial sliding challenge to prevent Simeone from getting a shot away after the Argentine had been put in on goal.

England v Argentina: Semi Final - FIFA World Cup 2026

Midfield

Declan Rice (7/10):

The Arsenal ace had been a major doubt for the game, but he showed no affects of his recent illness while putting in a serious shift in midfield before coming off in the closing stages. He was on hand to lay the ball off for Rogers to cross for Gordon to score, while he also had one of England's few shots on target.

Elliot Anderson (5/10):

Allowed himself to get too involved in all of the early argy-bargy and picked up a booking shortly before the break for a poor challenge on Messi. Impossible to fault his work-rate, but he proved unable to get his foot on the ball to help relieve the pressure on England in the 'final quarter'.

Jude Bellingham (5/10):

The Real Madrid superstar wasn't in the least bit intimidated by Argentina's attempts to unsettle England early on, but despite making some good runs and drawing fouls, he failed to stamp his authority on the game and unsurprisingly lost his rag with Messi in the dying seconds.

England v Argentina: Semi Final - FIFA World Cup 2026

Attack

Morgan Rogers (7/10):

A surprise selection on the right wing, but it proved an inspired call, with Rogers whipping over the cross from which Gordon broke the deadlock. One of England's better attackers on the night, although that's not saying much.

Harry Kane (4/10):

Kind of involved in the opening goal, as it was his long ball forward that Tagliafico played into the path of Rice. However, this was a really poor night for England's talisman, who never looked remotely like scoring.

Anthony Gordon (7/10):

Worked tirelessly down the left-hand side and was rewarded for his effort with the most important goal of his life after a terrific run in behind Molina, before being replaced with 18 minutes to go.

England v Argentina: Semi Final - FIFA World Cup 2026

Subs & Manager

Ezri Konsa (5/10):

Came on for Gordon late on as England looked to shut up shop, but he didn't help.

Dan Burn (N/A):

Throw on in place of James with just eight minutes to go, but ended up having to play as a makeshift striker as it all went wrong for England.

Nico O'Reilly (N/A):

Part of a double-substitution with Burn, with the versatile Man City man replacing Rice.

Marcus Rashford (N/A):

Introduced in the sixth minute of injury time.

Ivan Toney (N/A):

Another desperate late sub.

Thomas Tuchel (3/10):

The German almost got his containment plan spot on, as the inclusion of both Spence and Rogers paid off and put England into a winning position. However, Tuchel threw this game away with his late substitutions that robbed England of all momentum and made defeat inevitable as soon as Argentina equalised. One wonders if he'll see out his contract now...