Tuchel's retreat set up England's World Cup exit as Argentina smelled blood - ESPN

ATLANTA — Thomas Tuchel knew the criticism would come.

«The changes we made didn't help us. Devastated,» was former England striker-turned pundit Wayne Rooney's assessment. Ex-defender Micah Richards said «tactically, we all thought he got it wrong today.»

Just 10 days ago, the England boss was being hailed as a tactical genius for the manner in which his side held out against Mexico, playing with a back five, down to 10 men, repelling any and everything thrown at them to win their quarterfinal 3-2 at the Azteca. But in the semifinal, the same defensive switch coincided with Argentina finding another level to grab two late goals and win 2-1.

«There was blood in the water and we went for it,» Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said afterwards.

Lionel Messi found more time on the ball out wide, the switch gave midfielder Enzo Fernández space to fire home the equalizer and, seven minutes later, Lautaro Martínez snuck into the gap in between two English defenders to nod home the winner from Messi's excellent cross. Tuchel's defensive switch backfired. That's the brutality of the FIFA World Cup.

«I believe that's just the nature of the game,» Tuchel said. «As soon as you lose, you get criticized after. No one knows what would have happened, if I made different decisions, so it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I'm responsible for them. I have to take the criticism that's just the way it is.»

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Tuchel had put so much emphasis on the «brotherhood» spirit of this team. He's frequently