Revealed: Argentina 'shocked' by Thomas Tuchel's substitutions after planning to face explosive England duo in World Cup semi-final

England led through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike in the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, only for Thomas Tuchel’s subsequent defensive substitutions to leave the Albiceleste players privately stunned and free to chase a dramatic late victory. The decision to drop deeper and deeper rather than stretch the game with pace proved decisive, allowing Lionel Scaloni’s side to equalise through Enzo Fernandez in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martinez struck the winner in stoppage time.

Tuchel’s defensive overhaul after Gordon’s goal
Gordon’s clinical finish put England ahead midway through the second half of a tense World Cup semi-final. As per The Independent, Argentina had specifically prepared for the introduction of Bukayo Saka or Noni Madueke, believing their main vulnerability lay in transitional moments against pure speed. Instead, Tuchel responded by reinforcing his back line.
Ezri Konsa replaced Gordon in the 72nd minute as England switched to a back five. Ten minutes later Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly came on for Reece James and Declan Rice. Only after Fernandez’s long-range equaliser did Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney finally appear. Between Gordon’s opener and Martinez’s decisive goal, England managed just 12 per cent of possession.

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Tuchel insists passivity was never the plan
Speaking after the defeat, Tuchel addressed the sudden shift in momentum. “I haven’t seen the data yet but I think right after the goal, the momentum swings completely in ball possession, chances and it drops dramatically,” he said. “We got too passive within our structure. I tried to help, not to become more passive with a back five but to be more active, to be quicker out to the wingers, not to open up the gaps between the back four.
"We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active within the structure, but we just struggled. We couldn’t find any duels any more which was why we dropped deeper and deeper, which was never the plan but it happened.”
He added that controlling the ball “is maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA.”
England players question the retreat as Argentina celebrate the opportunity
The tactical retreat did not go unnoticed inside the England camp. Captain Harry Kane remarked that simply trying to “hold on” to a 1-0 lead was “not enough at this level.”
Centre-back Marc Guehi echoed the frustration: “We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and then the mentality was go back, defend.”
On the other side, according to the same reports, Argentina players discussed the English approach at length during their celebrations. They had been reminded at half-time of Saka and Madueke’s threat and expected one or both to appear. When neither did, Scaloni felt free to abandon defensive caution, removing left-back Nicolas Tagliafico for Martinez on 81 minutes and pushing the already-introduced Nico Gonzalez into that role.

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FA stand by Tuchel despite latest semi-final exit
Despite the manner of the elimination, the Football Association (FA) remains committed to Tuchel, whose contract runs through the 2028 European Championship on home soil. Chief executive Mark Bullingham has privately expressed satisfaction with the German’s overall work and there is a belief that he is still addressing deeper cultural issues within the squad. England must now regroup for the third-place play-off against France, a fixture neither side particularly wanted, before turning their full attention to the Euros.