Thomas Tuchel has promised to remain England coach until Euro 2028 despite criticism over tactical adjustments in the defeat against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final on Thursday, July 16, 2026, early morning WIB.
Anthony Gordon's goal in the 55th minute took the Three Lions to their second World Cup final appearance in history, but Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored two goals in the final minutes to snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Argentina advanced to the 2026 World Cup final against Spain, England will only get entertainment in the form of a third-place match against France on Sunday, July 19, 2026, early morning WIB, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Many critics point to Tuchel's tactics as the culprit for England's defeat in the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
However, the criticism was immediately dismissed by the German coach. In fact, he confidently asserted that his contract as England coach until 2028 - which was just extended by the FA (English Football Federation) - still applies in the midst of the pressure currently aimed at him.
"First of all, the 2026 World Cup is not over. There are still games to be played that we are not looking forward to, but there are still games to be played."
"Then we keep going. I have a contract until Euro at home. I'm looking forward to it, even now (when) it's hard to see that far ahead," said Tuchel.
As is known, the player changes made by Tuchel seem to have contributed to England's loss of momentum as Argentina continued to attack to find a way back and Lionel Messi created both goals, including Martinez's winning goal in the second minute of injury time.
Tuchel replaced defender Reece James with Dan Burn, and midfielder Declan Rice with defender Nico O'Reilly in the 82nd minute.
Between Gordon's goal and Argentina's winning goal, England only had 12 percent of the ball. However, Tuchel had a defense and denied that what he did was a wrong decision.
"No (wrong), I believe it's just the natural nature of the game. As soon as you lose, you are immediately criticized. No one knows what would have happened if we had made a different decision."
"So, there's no point in getting involved in that and losing control. I'm responsible for those decisions, I'm the one who made the decisions, so I accept the criticism. That's the reality," said Tuchel.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane criticized the team's response after taking the lead.
"Once we were 1-0 up, we seemed to just try to defend, which at this level is not enough, so I am very disappointed," he said.
England's defeat follows a pattern similar to recent tournament defeats, including their last World Cup semi-final against Croatia in 2018 and the Euro 2020 final against Italy, where they were ahead in both games only to lose.
However, Tuchel rejected the notion that there was something in the DNA of the England team that led to a similar failure.
"I like to look at these things in the context of football and through the eyes of football. So, first of all I always think it can be solved on the football field."
"I don't really believe in the typical English thing and curses or whatever, or like history repeating itself at these moments."
"The coach is different, the players are different, the situation is different, the opponent is different. So, basically I believe in football."
"For me as a football coach, what is still a problem for us today is that I think we are not active enough in any structure," Tuchel said in his press conference.
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