The Football Association is facing mounting pressure to dismiss Thomas Tuchel after England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. The German coach, hired to end decades of near-misses, saw his side squander a lead and lose 2-1 in injury time.
Match details and criticism
England took the lead through Anthony Gordon's second-half goal, but then retreated defensively. Argentina's Enzo Fernandez equalised in the 85th minute, and Lautaro Martinez headed the winner in stoppage time. Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara accused Tuchel of 'bottling it' on talkSPORT, stating: 'It's a sackable offence, it's shocking from Tuchel. He should be embarrassed. Sack him, sack him, sack him – sack him now!'
Tuchel's contract and record
Tuchel signed a contract extension in February to remain England manager until the end of Euro 2028. Under his predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, England reached back-to-back European Championship finals, the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, and the 2022 quarter-finals. Tuchel's World Cup campaign included knockout wins over Mexico and Norway before the semi-final loss.
Next manager odds
If the FA sack Tuchel, Pep Guardiola is the 11/4 favourite with BetVictor. Other contenders include Eddie Howe (5/1), Lee Carsley (6/1), Mauricio Pochettino (8/1), Frank Lampard (14/1), Graham Potter (16/1), Carlo Ancelotti (16/1), Kieran McKenna (20/1), Steven Gerrard (20/1), and Unai Emery (25/1).
Tuchel's response
Speaking after the match, Tuchel said: 'We're disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances. We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots.'
Further criticism
Ex-England striker Chris Sutton also criticised Tuchel on BBC Radio 5 Live: 'There certainly needs to be questions asked about Thomas Tuchel. Looking at the game and the way the game turned that was down to his coaching. He was so super negative when he should've been positive. He could've been more positive with his substitutions. You had Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford on the bench. And why not take Harry Kane off when he was looking like a passenger? He's got a lot of questions to answer.'
Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final. Spain beat tournament favourites France in the semi-finals. Argentina are defending champions, having won the 2022 World Cup.
