England’s players used a candid team meeting with head coach Thomas Tuchel to voice strong objections to how the team handled the closing stages of their World Cup semifinal defeat by Argentina, and the squad believes the air has now been cleared. The session was held at the start of the September international break, when the Football Association’s post-tournament review process canvassed the opinions of the entire squad.
The meeting was described as “full and frank.” Those involved feel that having had their say, they can move on from the loss in Atlanta on July 15, when England conceded twice late on and were eliminated.
The ramifications of that defeat — and, more pointedly, the circumstances around it — left some members of the squad with grievances that lingered and even grew over the summer. Discontent centered on how Tuchel instructed the team to approach the closing stages after Anthony Gordon had given England a 55th-minute lead. Enzo Fernandez equalized with five minutes remaining, and Lautaro Martinez headed in a stoppage-time winner.
Several senior players had misgivings about Tuchel’s instructions for the end of that game, believing the approach was too negative and defensive. England had appeared to retreat late in their round-of-16 tie against Mexico earlier in the tournament, but on that occasion they successfully defended a 3-2 lead to reach the quarterfinals and set off celebrations at the Azteca Stadium. Against Argentina, some players felt let down by what they saw as undue pragmatism, sensing that pressing for a second goal would have brought a better outcome.
What was said in the review meeting
The Argentina game inevitably became a central theme of the squad discussion. Tuchel pointed to the quality of the opposition as a key reason England conceded twice late on — an argument with obvious merit, given that Lionel Messi was on the other side.
It was not an argument the players were prepared to accept across the board. A strongly held view within the squad is that England, man for man, were superior to Argentina, who had 38-year-old Nicolas Otamendi on the field for the final 18 minutes.
Every player was given the opportunity to air a personal view. Captain Harry Kane was strong and forthright, as might be expected. Jude Bellingham was said to be particularly candid in expressing his belief that the current group of England players were more than capable of continuing to take the game to Argentina rather than sitting back.
Bellingham’s contribution is said to have underlined his growing influence within the squad, with many believing the Real Madrid midfielder will become captain once Kane is no longer in the picture.
Results since the meeting
If the air needed clearing after the World Cup, the honest discussions at the end of September appear to have done the job. England lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley in their first Nations League fixture in September, but responded emphatically, scoring 12 goals without conceding across three matches against the Czech Republic and Croatia.
The relationship between Bellingham and Tuchel, which has fluctuated, also appears to have improved. “It was a bit of an up and down [relationship] of course but we are in a good place,” Tuchel said last week. “I love to be his coach. He’s a top player, a very influential player and I think it goes both ways.”
A clearer picture of how “Tuchel 2.0” is progressing should emerge in the coming days, with England hosting Croatia on Thursday before traveling to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday.