'Absolutely unfathomable' - England legends Gary Lineker & Wayne Rooney tear into Thomas Tuchel's negative tactics after heartbreaking World Cup loss to Argentina

Lineker did not hold back in his assessment of Tuchel’s game management after Anthony Gordon had given the Three Lions the lead in Atlanta. The former striker expressed total disbelief at the decision to withdraw attacking threats in favour of a low block, ultimately inviting Lionel Messi and Co to pile on the pressure.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker fumed: "We went a goal up, then sat deep. The substitutes he made, made that even deeper. It turns to five at the back and you’re going, ‘we will play a low block’ against a team who are good against it. It made zero sense to me.

"Tactically it was astonishing, to be perfectly honest. It was a negative move. We all sat there watching the same game saying the same thing.

"I found it absolutely unfathomable that you’ve got a tactic, you’re playing against the greatest footballer there has ever been. Get tight to him [Messi]. He whipped ball after ball after ball into the box."

Rooney joined the chorus of disapproval, suggesting that the manager’s lack of ambition from the touchline drained the belief from the players on the pitch. The Manchester United legend was particularly critical of the way England surrendered their momentum just as they seemed to have the world champions on the ropes.

"The decisions Thomas Tuchel has made, we have to be honest, have cost us tonight," Rooney said. "If you’re an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up and you see the changes which the manager’s making, you’re losing belief, there’s only so many times you can get away with it.

"Then you start thinking, ‘oh no, we’re going to sit back for this long, how are we going to get through this?' It’s a panic, it’s a real panic. You can’t go a goal up and then surrender the ball and surrender any opportunity of going to try and get the second goal, because that’s what you want to do.

"If you let players of that quality have the ball around your penalty box, sooner or later they’re going to score.”

The nature of the defeat inevitably led to comparisons with the previous regime, with former goalkeeper Joe Hart noting that the same old habits seem to be haunting the national team. Despite the change in leadership, the tendency to shut up shop in big moments remains a glaring issue for this squad.

Hart noted: "I think Gareth Southgate will be at home watching this game, he took a lot of criticism when it came to the big moments with England when they had the lead and shutting up shop.

"I don’t see anything’s changed in that big moment out there. Thomas Tuchel, for as much praise as we’ve given him, for him to change it as soon as he did, I think he realised that’s him saying he didn’t believe in his team, he didn’t think they could land any more punches on Argentina."

The criticism wasn't limited to domestic voices, as World Cup winners Thomas Muller and Iker Casillas also voiced their shock at England's approach.

Muller was left baffled by the tactical setup, stating in a video on his X account: "I cannot believe and understand how England approaches this game, especially after they are leading. I cannot understand, to invite the whole Argentina game to hit one cross after another from perfect crossing positions, but no matter..."

Casillas echoed these sentiments, writing on X: "[England] score the goal and then sit back. Cowardly approach. They haven't left their own box and have allowed [Argentina] to come forward more. The logical outcome happens." before saying that Tuchel's side had committed "harakiri", which is a traditional method of ritual suicide via disembowelment, notably practiced by Japanese samurai.