Despite arriving as underdogs, England looked set to defeat Argentina. Early in the second half, Anthony Gordon scored a crucial goal. However, they lost possession and were outplayed by Lionel Scaloni’s team. After their defeat in the 2026 World Cup semifinal, Thomas Tuchel‘s future appeared to be in doubt. However, the English Soccer Association has reportedly decided to keep him on as head coach for the foreseeable future.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the English Soccer Association (FA) has decided to keep Thomas Tuchel as England’s head coach. Despite their 2026 World Cup defeat disappointing all the fans, he will continue to honor his contract until UEFA Euro 2028, having recently signed a contract extension. However, he now needs to deliver his first major success since taking charge of the national team.
Thomas Tuchel has not enjoyed a standout spell with England. Since his arrival, he has been unable to implement his ‘gegenpressing’, with the team appearing heavily dependent on individual talent. Their main strength has been the presence of Harry Kane, who helped unlock several matches. However, they never managed to develop a strong collective identity, often looking very limited.
Looking ahead to UEFA Euro 2028, Tuchel could rethink his approach to England’s squad. After leaving out talents such as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the team looked very limited when trying to adjust the game from the bench. In addition, he needs to improve the team’s collective fluidity, meaning several players could make way in favor of a more cohesive, team-oriented style of play.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel during a cooling break.
England’s Tuchel hails his team’s performance, stats disagree
Amid numerous injuries and suspensions, Tuchel managed to surprise everyone by leading England to the semifinals. However, they never managed to dominate possession, relying heavily on Harry Kane. Their weaknesses were exposed against Argentina, leading to criticism from the fans. Despite that, head coach decided to praise the team’s performance, even though the statistics contradict him.
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“I don’t regret anything. The team gave everything, and we came very, very close. We played one of our best matches, perhaps the best given the circumstances. The team was outstanding… We came very close, but we became too passive after scoring; we conceded too many chances and couldn’t regain control of possession,” Thomas Tuchel said after the defeat to Argentina.
Even though Tuchel does not regret anything about his approach with England, they looked quite poor against Argentina. In the final 30 minutes of the match, they had only 12% possession, being the lowest in the last 60 years at the World Cup, reports Opta Joe, via X. In addition, they had only two shots on target in the 90 minutes, making it clear that they were not going to be the protagonists and were far from victory.
