Tuchel admits he switched to back five too early as England's World Cup exit still haunts him

Thomas Tuchel has accepted personal responsibility for England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, admitting he made a premature tactical switch that contributed to the agonising exit — and revealing he still cannot watch the game in full.

Speaking on the FA’s Reflections show, the England manager said he ordered a change to a back five midway through the second half after sensing his side were about to concede, a decision he now believes came far too soon. “It was too early for that mindset,” Tuchel said. “I thought: ‘OK, let’s change to a back five, a 5-4-1.’ We played like we had four minutes left but there was half an hour left.”

Tuchel had initially pointed to England’s footballing DNA and an inability to keep possession as factors in the defeat, stopping short of blaming his own tactics. His latest comments mark a more candid reassessment. “You have to play as if it is 0-0. That includes me as well,” he said.

The German coach described the defeat as an “agony of epic proportions” and said he only managed to watch selected clips of the match with his coaching staff at St George’s Park last week, rather than the full 90 minutes. “It’s my scar, the players’ scar, I have to live with it. No-one is hurt more than me. It is torture,” he said.

Tuchel pinpointed a tackle by Djed Spence early in the second half as a psychological turning point, saying it shifted the mindset of both the players and himself at a moment when the game was still level. Argentina, he acknowledged, were simply better equipped to handle the occasion. “They bring it all to the table — brotherhood, mentality, individual quality — and it means the world to them,” he said.

England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon before Argentina’s late comeback knocked them out. Tuchel cited fatigue as a contributing factor, referencing a demanding run of fixtures including games in Congo, Miami, Norway, Mexico, and at altitude.

Despite the pain of the semi-final, Tuchel noted that England’s third-place finish — secured with a win over France — still carries meaning. “I have a lot of people who want to see my medal,” he said. “We did not achieve what we wanted. But you learn as a coach.”