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Thomas Tuchel referred to Argentina's tactics in the final stages of England's World Cup semifinal loss as "f--- it football" while attempting to articulate how his Three Lions suffered what he called an "agony of epic proportions."
Following a tense, scoreless opening half, England broke the deadlock inside Atlanta's climate-controlled Mercedes-Benz Stadium when Anthony Gordon netted in the 55th minute. What unfolded afterward was a gradual and painful collapse.
The Three Lions pressed high from Argentina's restart, with Tuchel urging his side forward from the touchline. Yet the team's instinctive caution took over. "When we went 1–0 up we seemed to try and hold on," Harry Kane candidly observed, "which at this level is not enough."
Tuchel attributed England's downfall to their "DNA," though many pointed the finger at his notably defensive substitutions made during the second-half water break.
"We conceded a big, big chance right before the water break and I thought, 'O.K., we will not survive. This is waiting for death. We don't have ball possession. We're not defending good,' " Tuchel explained in a new England documentary, Reflections.
The German manager shifted to a back five in the 72nd minute, triggering the most wretched 20-minute spell in England's World Cup history. Argentina dominated with 92% possession, generating eight shots while Tuchel's men managed just six passes. Rather than shoulder the blame directly, Tuchel pointed to the influence of his opponents.
Lionel Messi's Contrasting Version of History
While Tuchel was throwing on defenders, Lionel Scaloni was deploying every available forward from his bench. "Argentina then plays very, very quickly," the England manager explained. "Sorry for the language, 'f--- it football.' We have nothing to lose. Let's f--- it. They play four strikers on us. They play two wingers, two strikers and [Lionel] Messi."
Despite the chaotic impression conveyed by Tuchel's colorful description, there was genuine method behind Scaloni's madness. Argentina had already come back from two goals down against Egypt using a comparable strategy, flooding the attack with forwards while Lionel Messi was given freedom to drift to his preferred position on the right flank.
Combining with Rodrigo De Paul and the overlapping fullback Gonzalo Montiel, Messi relentlessly targeted England's left side, unpicking the defensive structure to create both goals as Argentina sealed a 2–1 victory.
"I think we showed again [today] what we've been doing for years," Messi reflected. "This team plays free-flowing, high-quality football. We're patient and we know how to read the key moments in a game. I think we dictated the game from the start. Although we didn't create any clear chances before halftime, we were in control and saw a lot of the ball. And after they scored, we were even better."
"I think that once again shows how strong we are as a group," the Argentina captain added. "We're mentally tough and play some good football. All of those things helped us win today."
Tuchel's 'Epic Agony'
For all of Argentina's brilliance, Tuchel acknowledged that his team made things easier for them. "We played like there were four minutes left, but it was actually 30, 40 minutes left to play," he lamented.
"No one knows what would have happened [if England had set up differently]. We could have done it and maybe lost 2–1 and people would go like, 'Is he crazy? He did it [played a back five] against Norway.' "
"[It was an] agony of epic proportions," Tuchel concluded. "No one is hurt more than me. It is torture. You can try and kill me here but it's my scar. It's not your scar. I have to live with it, not you. I'm in charge here and I take these decisions and it's the players' scar and it's my scar."