"Tuchel cost us the game!" - Jamie O'Hara highly critical of England boss' tactics

Golf's a good idea, isn't it?Good idea, that.I've got it on over there.Look, we've been here before, haven't we, England fans?On the cusp of a World Cup final, their dreams were snatched away by a late Argentina comeback.Plenty of question marks over Thomas Tuchel's tactics after the result, as England's performance in a major tournament followed a similar pattern.

Only twice this century have a team scored first in a World Cup semi -final, and failed to reach the final.You guessed it, both were England.

Like I said, from us, a performance that we can be proud of.It was a big occasion, it was a big opponent.We tried to eliminate the world champions.We tried to eliminate an experienced group of players in tournament football.The bigger the occasion, the more pain you feel, of course, but it's important to...First of all, that you gave everything, which we did.

In this tournament, we've praised your decisions a lot and a lot of people have said they've been what have got us here a lot of the time.Tonight, there's a lot of criticism about your decisions, particularly the substitutions.Do you believe you got it wrong?

No, I believe that's just the nature of the game.As soon as you lose, you get criticised.That's just what it is. get criticised after.No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions.So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head.I'm responsible for them, I took them, so I take the criticism, that's just the way it is.

These are the shots of the England team leaving the stadium in Atlanta.Captain Harry Kane said there were similarities between last night's defeat and previous tournament exits.

similar story to what's happened in previous tournaments, I feel like we struggled to...keep the momentum of the game.We've done so well for that kind of 60 minutes.We scored.We deserve to be ahead." And then, for one reason or another, we struggled to keep the ball, we struggled to put pressure on the ball, and it just allowed them to create more momentum.

It created more attacks for them in our final third.And then, yeah, it's a normal mindset to try and hang on and try and hang on to the one -goal lead.But, you know, we're still 20 minutes plus stoppage time to go.It was always going to be a long time.So, yeah, we're going to have to watch the game back and find out exactly how we can improve in those situations.But it's been probably the missing piece now for, you know, the last four or five tournaments.

Well, this is a stat that will get a lot of attention.In fact, it's pretty extraordinary.England's average possession between Anthony Gordon's opener and Lautaro Martinez's winner, so that's from the 55th to the 92nd minute, was just 12%.

Nailed the game plan up until we scored.I thought we did really well.We knew what Argentina were going to do and I thought we dealt with it pretty well.We got a little bit passive after the goal.Defended probably a little bit too deep in the quality of chances that Argentina were creating.I felt like it was a matter of time.

I think it was We've conceded too many crosses and too many chances and I think it's hard because in the previous games we've defended those so well.I didn't need that much instruction if I was honest, I know why.I was coming on to defend crosses and make sure they didn't take chances.But just the way it worked out, I didn't really get a chance to defend everything.Everything seemed to come in from my side.

Right, shall we get straight into this, guys?You ready?Yeah.OK, so many first questions I could ask you, but I'm just going to ask you.What was your take on what you saw last night?

First and foremost, I was absolutely gutted.Crestfallen.I thought we played really well up until the first goal and we fell apart.We absolutely fell apart.And Thomas Tuchel blew it.Thomas Tuchel cost us that game.

I don't care what anyone says, you can talk about You know, players could have done more, could have been better on the ball.Yeah, there were moments where we could have done better.Thomas Tuchel cost us the game.His decision to bring on Konca in the 72nd minute for Anthony Gordon is one of the worst decisions I've ever seen from a manager, let alone an England manager.It was unbelievable.He killed us.

Killed us.And then after that, it was just backs against the wall, and Argentina were sat there going, rubbing their hands together.saying, oh my God, they've retreated already in the 72nd minute.There was still half an hour of the game to play.I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Why do you think that he thought that England could last so long?Was it not an opportunity?After the goal went in, Argentina had to open up.Of course.Was that an opportunity then to hit him on the break, get a second?

The whole reason we brought in Thomas Tuchel was for these moments.We had Gareth Southgate, and he messed it up.He had them moments.Croatia, Italy, Spain.All them moments we go, Gareth Southgate, we've got to change.Thomas Tuchel will make the right call at the right decision at the right time.

And what happens?Everything plays out perfect for England.1 -0 up against Argentina.Right, look to your manager.The game's going to turn.Can you turn it in your favour?

Can you make a positive change?Rashford, Saka, Tony, Legs, anything in midfield?No.He goes five at the back and he absolutely killed the team.Killed the team.And after that it was just backs against midfield.

I can't only he can understand why he made that decision in the 72nd minute We've got to hydration breaks in the last games Mexico.Listen Mexico say well, you know, we've done it against Mexico We were down to ten men.We had to we had to defend.Of course.There was gonna be an onslaught It was down to ten men and you're playing Mexico not Argentina against Argentina.You've got to be brave You've got to be brave against Argentina.

And he could have gone, right, we've scored, let's go again.Can we put the emphasis, and I heard one of his interviews last night, well, you know, it's alright, you know, in hindsight, you know, I could have put on three forwards.We're not asking you to put on three strikers.We're asking you to give us a chance to get up the pitch.We were asking you to give us a chance for the players who were dying on their feet and can't get out because you took off any type of opportunity for us to get out the pitch.I couldn't believe what I was watching.

It was an unbelievable decision from a national manager.The decision to bring him in was for that decision.Gareth Southgate could have done that job last night.Any manager, the whole nation, could have sat there, every single person, on their couch, in the pub, anywhere in the country were going, Oh my God, why have we retreated so early?It's a 72nd minute.Why is he not bringing on Rashford?

Why is he not bringing on Saka?My missus, who don't even watch football, messaged me and said, we're a bit deep, aren't we?And it's like, yeah, we are!

It's a 72nd minute!It's pretty obvious, isn't it?I mean, you don't need to know that much about football when you can see one team's attacking the whole time, one team is just defending.Michael, just show us how much England lost control after Gordon's opener.

Yeah, look, it was difficult for him, wasn't it?As soon as England scored, really, it was all pretty much Argentina.If you just have a look at this here and have a look at the difference.in first and second half, look at the match momentum in the second half, well that tells its own story and I know I think as Jamie said wherever we were watching it it was very difficult viewing wasn't it and that shows you there and obviously England's trying near the end, but it looked faint, didn't it?It was pretty much...And I think, I'm sure I can speak for everyone, when Argentina equalised, we all sort of felt it was a matter of when, not if, that Argentina were going to get that winning goal.

And I think many were just waiting for it to happen, and some were thinking it's going to happen before extra time, it's going to happen, and it ended up...

But that's what your manager's there for, Bridgie.That is what the manager is paid to do, to see that scenario.That is why he's the national manager, because he sees that situation.And I can't believe the decision he makes, because not only are you trying to help your team, you're sending a message to Argentina.We go 1 -0 up, they have to change it.They've got to throw the dice.

But he could turn around to them and say, you're going to throw the dice, but I'm going to be brave here, and I'm going to say, right, I know you're going to make changes, I know you're going to bring on players to try and attack, but I'm going to go the other way.I'm going to go the other way.Let's go and get another one.Let's go and get forward.Let's go and push.Let's go and attack them.

There's so many ways to see out a game.apart from defending on your six yard box.

There's so many ways to defend.It's much easier to throw punches when you know there's no punches coming back.Of course there is.We've got loads more coming up on this.I mean, Tuchel said he'd handled the criticism and there's no shortage of that this morning as former England players and captains took aim at his subs and game plan after they took the lead.Chris Sutton even went as far as calling it a coaching catastrophe.

It was.Wayne Rooney speaking on the BBC's coverage said,a good position and we didn't know what to do.We sat back, allowed them to come on to us.They put us under pressure and we cracked.As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they'd get the second.

When you go on top, you have to stay on top.It's more the same, isn't it, really?We go 1 -0 up, then sit back, make changes, go 5 or 6 at the back.If you allow Messi and Argentina to come on to you, you're asking for trouble.

When we start putting defenders on there, putting forwards on, then we're just going to sit back.Too many quality players in the Argentinian team for them not to make a chance before the end.I mean, McAllister hit the post with the header where he should have scored.So, yeah, just disappointing.There's ways of going out and you've got to go out in a blaze of, you know, in a blaze of, in a blaze really in my opinion.

And it keeps coming.Former England striker Michael Owen posted on social media.Watch Spain at 1 -0. That's courage.That's bravery.And then watch England at 1 -0. What's the difference?We are a better team than Argentina, I've no doubt in my mind, but we deserve to get beat in the end.

In fact, it could have been 4 -1. Bringing on three defenders at 1 -0 up, what message does that send?Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting, heading it up the field 40 yards, then this will always be the end result.Well, the hands on the heads tell you everything.These were the scenes in Brighton when Argentina scored the winner in stoppage time, 4 ,000 miles away in Atlanta.The England fans, again, were not happy with the approach after taking the lead.

We sat back, we invited pressure on, and, yeah, we got worthy serves.

We gave a turn today.We were the better side.We messed up.We messed up massively.Totally stopped playing.And we went ahead and we didn't play well at all.

I mean, we didn't come to win the game.

Really disappointing.You know, the first half was good.The boys were after it.We were on the front foot.And then the second half, it was completely different, even though we scored in the second half.We just turned off again the last 20, 30 minutes.

It never turned up.

So fans not happy out there, ex -players, ex -captains, it feels like everyone is pulling in the same direction.

What's scary is that we all saw it.That's the scary thing.Everyone sat there watching a game, whether you're a professional or a normal person.You could see that that decision was an absolute disaster.He bottled it.He did, he bottled it.

He absolutely bottled it.And he'll say he won't regret his decision.Let me tell you now, that decision that he made to bring on Conta and then to bring on Nico O 'Reilly and Dan Byrne, you can't do that against Argentina.You are asking for trouble.I get it, 85th minute and you want to try and see it out.I can accept that, you're 1 -0 up.

The 72nd minute to make that call, he absolutely bottled it.And this was the whole reason that we brought in Thomas Tuchel to not make that decision.If there was any decision that we wanted Thomas Tuchel to make, it was not that one.There was so much of that game left.There was so much time still in the game.That game could have gone in so many different directions.

It was a 50 -50 and we got our noses in front.But they were on top, Argentina.We had to have something more.He could have put on Kobe Manu to dictate the tempo of the game.He could have gave us pace out wide to stretch the pitch and get them on the back foot again.You know, if he wanted to sit deep, he could have put on Ivan Toni.

I mean, at least we would have had someone to play long to who could potentially hold it up to help us get up the pitch.There were so many decisions he could have made.And he made the worst decision I've ever seen from an England manager.In my lifetime, it was the worst decision I've ever seen.

And it can turn so quickly, can't it?Because, you know, you can go from being a hero very quickly.It was all quite positive after the Norway game.Now you've got serious questions being asked about Tuchel's future.

Yeah, I mean, in Mexico, Tuchel received a lot of praise, and rightly so.And people were talking about this is why he took Burn, for example, Spence, for example, and he left other players at home.But it feels like it's eliminated, eradicated a little bit.Of course, there's a lot of emotion at the moment, but a reminder, of course, Thomas Tuchel did sign a two -year contract extension in February, and this was him briefly last night on his future.

Still a match to play.We're not looking so much forward to, but there's still a match to play and then there's, of course, we keep on going for contract until the home Euros, and I'm looking forward to that.Even like now, it's difficult to look that far ahead.

OK, we've got a home Euros, of course, 2028, so there's a big carrot for Thomas Tugel to keep going, see his contract out.Should he stay?Sack him.Really?Sack him.

He's only had one major tournament.Don't care.That's one of the worst decisions I've ever made.It's one of the worst decisions I've ever seen.It's one of the worst decisions I've ever seen.There has to be an inquest into the decisions.

You can't sack someone on one decision, Kenny.You can sack a manager.We brought him in to get us over the line, to get the job done.We had Gareth Southgate, who was a good manager, got us to, how many, the back end of a tournament.And that decision he made last night was way worse than any decision Gareth Southgate ever made.It was an unbelievable decision.

We was on top.We'd just scored.And then we retreated and we had 12 % possession after the goal.Sack him.

Honestly, it was not clean enough.Is it completely down to the manager though there?Harry Kane said afterwards, look, the coaches wanted us to get further up the pitch.

They can't.They can't get further up the pitch.Listen, I can sit here and accept if Argentina were better than us.I can accept that.If he brought on Rashford and Saka and they got their noses in front, Argentina, and they just overran us, and Messi done some brilliance, and you go, OK, I can accept that, because they're a hell of a team, Argentina, and they have no, you know, never -say -die attitude.The manager killed us.

Anyone who's got anything about him who knows football, you can't go five at the back to then not have anyone to get you up the pitch.Because when we won the ball back, All you could do was kick it back to them.So the four players in front had no out ball.All they could do was go, I can't get up the pitch, I can't get there.Jude Bellingham was dead on his feet.Morgan Rodgers was dead on his feet.

Declan Rice, dead on his feet.Elliot Anderson, Harry Kane, they were dead on their feet.Give them an opportunity.If you're going to play five at the back, if you're going to bring on Dan Byrne and Konca, fine, you make that decision.But give us an out ball.Give us something where we can go, right, when we win it back, I'm hitting a 70 -yard die to Rashford.

I'm hitting a 70 -yard die to Saka.And we try and get up the pitch.And then we can try and move away from our goal.All we did was just invite pressure on.And you're playing Argentina.

Look at their score.Is there an argument, though?I mean, are you basing it on one decision?But you're looking at it.That international football is like that.It's cutthroat.

He's been brought in, as you say.But maybe on the flip side, I'm just trying to look at it of a bit of balance.England do look exhausted.They've got maybe one or two world -class players.It's hard to win a major international tournament.Very, very, very, very hard.

You see other major nations leaving the tournament early.How many candidates would you have?You've got, even internally, Lee Carsley, who's done incredible for the under -21s, never felt like he really, truly wanted the full -time role.Felt a little bit uncomfortable, maybe at times.You're not having any of that?

Not Lee Carsley, but I mean, there's plenty of managers.Where's Pep?Can we go and get Pep Guardiola?Is he available?Because he loves the English game.We love it.

He wouldn't allow that.Do you think Pep Guardiola makes that terrible decision?No chance.Look at how Spain played when they go 1 -0 up against France.They dictate the tempo of the game.They keep the ball.

You've got Rodri in midfield dictating, moving it.Pep wouldn't have made that decision.Listen, hindsight's a wonderful thing, right?But that decision from Thomas Tuchel last night, did we play well in the tournament?Second half against Croatia, And we dug in against Mexico and we had some decent moments and it was an iconic performance.But, you know, Mexico rode their luck.

They was unlucky.And we played well.Is Thomas Tukor a good manager?

wins, that'll be four, one behind Brazil.As Lionel Messi looks to further cement his legacy as the sport's all -time great, he'll become the first player in history to start in three World Cup finals.

It's crazy what this group has just achieved once again, reaching a World Cup final.We come from being world champions.We've been the best over the last four years, no matter who it hurts or what they say.Today, once again, we place ourselves among the best two teams in the world, and that shows that everything we did is not by chance and that no one gave us anything.Reaching two World Cup finals in a row is no small feat.and this group just achieved it.

I've never doubted, and I knew at the very least, we'd be among the final four, and that this group, when they come to me,it brings out something special from where they don't have it.The pain goes away, they get in good physical shape, and they play like they did today and never stop trying.

We had a challenging game, a challenging situation.There was blood in the water, and we went for it.That's the feeling that I'm getting, and that's what I saw in the players as well.With the substitutions, when you see there's a vacuum at the goal that's just sucking the ball out, well, you just have to keep going.We hit the crossbar, we hit the post, and it just wouldn't go in.There were six or seven chances, but I'm very pleased about that because the team fought to the very end.

And I think it's as critical for me It was real grit.We were ready to go home, sad knowing that we had left everything on the pitch.But yes, I think after they scored, we really proved ourselves.It shows what football is to us, which is something that goes beyond tactics.

" OK, let's start going through the morning's newspapers then.Lots of reaction, as you can imagine, to England going out of the World Cup at Argentina's hands last night.Michael, what's the general mood of the papers then?It's not just the back pages, is it?It's the front as well.

No, it's on all the front pages as well, Matt, and it's absolutely England -dominant, for it's obviously...I mean, the sun's got to come on Spain underneath the sun, cheeky.But let's start with the Mirror.We've got John Cross out there for the Mirror.Look, it all centres around Thomas Tull.and those substitutions.

The 60 years of hurt goes on and the pain has never felt worse.I have to be honest with you, I think it does feel worse than the Italy -Euros defeat and the last few defeats.This one just hurts more.England -Argentina is a real rivalry, let's be honest with you.I know a lot of club rivalries we love, we embrace.This is a real rivalry.

I think this one hurts a lot, hurts a lot.So John Cross there talking about the Thomas Tuchel decision.And in the television,we've got Jamie Carragher He just very, very open, doesn't mince his words, don't we, Carragher.Thomas Tuchel blew it.The dreadful ending to the semifinal and Atlanta exposed the single biggest flaw in the Football Association's headhunting of a world -class manager.

It is fanciful to think that even the greatest coaches are immune to mistakes when decisive moments arrive on the biggest stage.It's a big article from Jamie Carragher there and very forthright and doesn't mince his words, as we know from Carragher.And then in The Sun, Won the ball.It's 60 years of her as Brave Lions has sunk by late RG goals.We came so close.Not sure that works.

But yeah, back here, it's another fine Messi.And inside, Martin Lipton, chief correspondent in Atlanta, talks about, again, the defeat, about Messi.Messi having the ball so much as soon as we made the substitutions.And all in all, a comprehensive roundup of what is a night to forget for England.

I mean, look.Every time we've gone out of a big tournament of late, obviously there's a big inquest afterwards.Gareth Southgate was criticised a lot, wasn't he, in the newspapers?

Yeah, of course.

Does Thomas Tooten deserve the same level of criticism here?

Well, he deserves more, because this is the reason that he got brought in for, and I'll say it again.His job was to get that decision right.We had Gareth Southgate.We loved Gareth Southgate.He'd done a great job.Got us to the latter stages of tournaments.

But we always felt that when the defining moment happened, he would get it wrong or he'd be too negative.And what happens last night?We had Argentina where we wanted them.We won it up in the 55th minute and they've got it all to do.There's a defining moment in a game.What's your next move?

It's like a game of chess.What's your next move?Well, what he did, he exposed us.He exposed us.He let everyone know.know that we were retreating.

And that decision is what he was there for.So, of course, there has to be an inquest.Of course you have to ask them questions.That was his job.And everyone in the nation, the whole nation, could see that he went too early.The whole nation could see that we were under the gun.

And he stood by it and watched us go out.And I can accept us getting beat.by a better team.I can accept that.Spain in the final, the Euro final.Spain were better than us.

We accept that, right?That last night, that hurt.That hurt last night.That felt, that just felt like we threw it away.

I think it hurts more for you as well because as Jamie Carragher points out here, you know, different manager.But it's a familiar story, and I think that's what hurts a lot as well, doesn't it?

Yeah, we're going to get Jamie's player ratings.Well, you're going to give us the short player ratings, and then you're going to get the full -on ones afterwards.Well, the honest one.Yeah, we do.Absolutely.I love the chess analogy as well, last night.

Maybe we had too many pawns on.We need a few more bishops and castles in there.

He exposed the Queen.Yeah.That's what he'd done.He gave them the Queen.You're meant to protect the Queen.You're meant to get pawns up the pitch.

Get them up the pitch.That's what, he exposed the Queen and Argentina went bang.Thank you very much.

That's what hurts you the most isn't it?It was working, especially in the first half, dark arts, whatever you want to call it, against Argentina it was working.