England out of the World Cup: The big questions facing Thomas Tuchel and the Three Lions after losing to Argentina

16.07.2026, 16:55 skysports.com

After England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, Sky Sports looks at the big questions facing Thomas Tuchel and the Three Lions squad.

Five minutes plus stoppage time away from a first World Cup final since 1966. You couldn't get much closer.

But Thomas Tuchel is currently getting the flak for failing to see the game out from 1-0 up. His decision to go to a back five on 72 minutes proved pivotal. Argentina reacted to it by putting more forwards on. The flow for the rest of the game was set and it was too much for England to handle.

Argentina had created little before that change of England mentality. Did Tuchel not trust his players to get over the line? Did he feel there were no more punches his team could land on Argentina, despite having Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on the pitch?

Tuchel says he did not expect England to go so deep - so some responsibility should also fall on his players. But what would have happened had England stayed with a back four? That's the burning question that will live long in the memory.

Tuchel's desire to remain in the role after signing a contract with the FA in February suggests the German retains the full backing of his bosses, who remain determined that he will still be in charge in two years' time.

But with France to come on Saturday's third-place play-off and Spain to visit Wembley in September, Tuchel and his big-game actions are being watched closely by the nation.Sam Blitz

Who do England play next and when?

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"They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament than having the hunger and excitement to win it."

Those were Tuchel's words when assessing England's defeat to Spain in the European Championship final under Gareth Southgate. It was a sharp critique of a team that, in Tuchel's eyes, had played not to lose rather than to win.

It was also a promise.

Tuchel's England would be different. More front-footed. More aggressive. More willing to seize the biggest moments instead of simply surviving them. At times, that vision looked real.

Croatia were overwhelmed by an exhilarating spell after half-time in England's opening World Cup match. Mexico had no answer when Jude Bellingham burst into life, scoring twice in a matter of minutes as England played with purpose and conviction.

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There were flashes of a team capable of imposing themselves on elite opposition rather than reacting to them. Which is why what unfolded against Argentina feels so difficult to reconcile.

England had the world champions exactly where they wanted them. Anthony Gordon's goal had put Tuchel's side 1-0 ahead and, more importantly, England still looked capable of carrying a threat. Argentina were chasing the game. England had momentum.

Yet, Tuchel abandoned the back four and introduced a back five. It was a move designed to protect the lead, but it achieved the opposite.

The change shifted the psychology of the contest. England retreated. Argentina advanced. The pressure became relentless. It is impossible to ignore the contradiction.

The manager who criticised England for fearing defeat appeared, in the biggest moment of his reign, to coach exactly that emotion into his own team.

Tuchel arrived promising courage over caution. He wanted England to dictate games, to make opponents uncomfortable and to embrace the biggest occasions without fear.

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Against Argentina, with a place in the final within touching distance, England stopped asking questions and started protecting what they had. Same old story.Lewis Jones

Thomas Tuchel picked a squad to take to the World Cup which few others would have chosen. No Trent Alexander-Arnold, no Harry Maguire, no Cole Palmer - two years after scoring in a European Championship final. But he was bold in his choices, speaking of "specialists" to take England all the way.

That line had already struggled to hold before he started Djed Spence and Morgan Rogers out of position against Argentina owing to a dearth of other options available.

Presumably Tuchel was aware of the injuries Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were carrying coming into the tournament. And if so, bringing Noni Madueke as his back-up right winger and leaving Adam Wharton, England's only other natural No 6, at home raises further questions.

When Reece James suffered a hamstring injury against Ghana in the group stages Tuchel said "no-one could see it coming". Plenty did outside of the England camp, only adding to previous bafflement at taking Tino Livramento - who had missed more than 30 club games with injury last season - as his back-up.

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Tuchel's selections got England to a World Cup semi-final, but they looked run ragged in the Stateside heat from the last-16 onwards. The head coach and his camp were well aware of the pitfalls of playing in such conditions, so why did he not give himself more room to rotate by picking fit players, or solid back-ups in key positions?Ron Walker

"It's coming home," the masses have been saying with vigour since the last-16 win over co-hosts Mexico, but did anyone really think it would be coming home before a ball was kicked? I mean, when was the last time England won a World Cup on a foreign soil? How about never.

Yes, England snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Argentina, but they made the South Americans look pretty ordinary in a historic first half hour where neither team mustered a shot - the first time that 's happened at a World Cup since records began.

We also mustn't forget the level of the opposition England faced. We're talking about the reigning world champions, the mentality monsters, the team that features a living legend and an all-time great in Lionel Messi, the team that is ranked number one in the FIFA World Rankings - one who will now play European champions Spain, who are second in the world rankings.

England are ranked fourth in the world, and despite losing to Argentina, they still have an opportunity to make history in this tournament. England will take on most people's pre-tournament favourites France in the bronze medal match on Saturday.

If they win Tuchel will do something no other men's England manager has done before by leading a side to third at a World Cup, which would represent England's best-ever performance at a World Cup on foreign soil. That's worth thinking about before people call for Tuchel's head.Dev Trehan

Tuchel constantly tweaked his backline - and did not name an unchanged defence in the entire tournament. Jarell Quansah, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly and Djed Spence came in and out of the team.

Injuries and suspension played its part in that decision-making, but there was never any defensive momentum right from the opening game against Croatia.

England always felt open on the counter attack and big openings wasted by Yoane Wissa against DR Congo and Norway's Alexander Sorloth could have ended their tournament earlier.

So when Enzo Fernandez struck from distance unchallenged and Lautaro Martinez headed home unmarked in the box, was anyone really surprised Argentina found a way through against this England backline?

Spain have shown in this tournament how defensive solidity as a team underpins success, no matter how many matchwinners you have.Sam Blitz

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The mentality of the English is something that has long come into question since 1966. That has been even more the case over the last decade. Croatia in 2018. Italy in 2021. Spain in 2024. Now Argentina in 2026. When the going gets tough, England get going.

However, Tuchel insisted throughout the tournament it was not a question of mentality. He made that abundantly clear after the win over Norway. And I’m inclined to agree.

In the past, you could argue that maybe England’s top players just didn’t know what it was like to win the big ones. Harry Kane was trophyless at Tottenham. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka had kept falling short with Arsenal. Truly, the only ones who had consistently got their hands on the big trophies in 2018 and 2021 were Kyle Walker and Phil Foden during Manchester City’s dominance. Neither of them were here this time.

But that argument has largely changed. Jude Bellingham is a Champions League winner for the biggest club in the world. Kane has got his hands on two Bundesliga titles. The Arsenal contingent in the squad are now Premier League champions. Even the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa have tasted European glory with Aston Villa.

These players have the mentality to win at the highest levels for their clubs. They are surrounded by others with the same mentality. Yes, the pressure of representing England is different, but the ability to take the same mindset you have from club to country isn’t. Or at least it shouldn’t be.Callum Bishop

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"It's too early to talk about that. For me, it's about taking it year by year and how I feel."

Even Harry Kane doesn't know if this was his last World Cup. Not because of his ability, but because it is not a topic that has entered his thinking.

At the age of 32, the England skipper was coming off the back of one of his best-ever seasons with Bayern - he scored 51 goals for his club in all competitions - and looked to be carrying that form into the World Cup, especially in the first four games.

Against DR Congo especially, he dragged the Three Lions to victory - but the drop off after was clear, and Kane was clearly affected by the altitude of Mexico and the heat of Miami.

He was anonymous against both Norway and Argentina, falling away at the worst possible time. That could perhaps be said of a few England players, but as captain and the Three Lions' main goal outlet, they were the games Kane needed to be at hi