Pep Guardiola isn’t bored yet! England warned off kneejerk sack call on Thomas Tuchel amid tactical questions of Three Lions boss following World Cup semi-final defeat

Former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich manager Tuchel is considered to have got his approach all wrong against Lionel Messi and Co. A historic contest in Atlanta did see Anthony Gordon open the scoring, but England retreated into their shell after that.

Defensive substitutions were made, rather than ambitious attacking ones, with the Three Lions being easily tamed as Messi made two telling contributions - with a couple of assists - and extended England’s 60-year wait for major international honours.

Rather than go for the jugular after taking the lead, Tuchel opted to try and hold what he had. Pressure was invited, which inevitably led to Argentina’s GOAT picking the tightest of locks. Criticism has been aimed in the direction of England’s head coach, with some suggesting that a contract that is due to take in a home European Championship in 2028 should be torn up.

Eddie Howe’s name has been mentioned as a potential successor, after delivering long-awaited silverware to Newcastle, while it is impossible to ignore the fact that Guardiola is available after bringing a glittery 10-year reign at the Etihad Stadium to a close.

Quizzed on whether a cheeky call should be put in, asking if one of the most decorated coaches in the business has got itchy feet yet, ex-Three Lions defender Lescott - speaking in association with UniBet Online Casino - told GOAL: “I don't think Pep is bored, and hearing how fast people can turn on you, I don't think he would want the role!

“So in regards to Thomas Tuchel, I think we should be frustrated that we've been knocked out, but I don't think we should point the blame on anyone in particular straight away. I think there's no divine right to win the World Cup, especially when you get to the semi-finals against the world champions and arguably the greatest player that has ever played the game.

“So the fact that we got there, I think we didn't overachieve in getting there, we were expected to get there, we were top-four seeded, and so were the other teams, and now it's down to whatever happens on the night. Unfortunately for us, it didn't pan out for our best interest.”

England are well versed in glorious failure, having suffered major tournament heartache on a regular basis over the course of the last six decades. From Diego Maradona to Cristiano Ronaldo via penalty shootouts, red cards and back-to-back Euros finals defeats, the Three Lions have found it impossible to get over the line.

Asked to pick out the biggest lesson that needs to be taken from another near miss, in order to avoid seeing history repeat itself again, ex-Everton and Manchester City star Lescott - who won 26 caps in his playing days - added: “Main lesson? Again, it's easy to say now because it's over, but there's a case to say ‘continue to do what you're doing, it's working’.

“I don't know how many saves Jordan Pickford made up until we scored, but then after we scored, he's having to make a few - a lot more, and they're hitting the post, and I think that's just the way any game goes.

“When there's nothing to lose for you as a team, and there was nothing to lose for Argentina, they can make the most exciting subs and be expansive because if they lose 2-0, it's no different, they're out. So the game went in our favour up until that point, and then all of a sudden, they had nothing to lose, and now we're forced back.

“I think even after they scored their first goal, we were on the ascendancy for a few minutes, I think we had a spell on top of them and they were penned in their box. Do we not recognise that just happens in football? But unfortunately for us, it happened for too long, and we weren't able to keep them out.”

England have a third-place play-off with France to come on Saturday, as they endeavour to take something away with them from a physically and emotionally draining stint in North America.

Competitive action will resume in the autumn, with another UEFA Nations League campaign getting underway in September - with it possible that their first contest there will see them line up against World Cup winners in the form of Spain. It is yet to be determined whether Tuchel will still be calling shots from the dugout at that point.