FIFA World Cup 2026: England Tournament Thread [R]

Tuchel also indirectly admitted he got his squad wrong by dropping Rashford, Madueke and Saka. And not playing Watkins, Toney and Mainoo at all.

It's easily the worst tournament squad selection (from the available pool) in our history.

During the Euros, Southgate had Trent, Palmer and Watkins available for when the game was collapsing into chaos.

This is the first late stage elimination from a tournament , where instead of feeling flat and disappointed, I'm just raging. This Argentina team are not even that good quality wise and it's actually going to take longer than we imagine to mentally recover from this, because of the manner we capitulated. Tuchels actually set us back yrs after that.

 

He's an absolute clown. He's on 10 million a year. Mike Bassett would have made better tactical subs

 

We just don't have the mentality for these big games against the top teams. Even if we are better, we just haven't crossed that line like Spain did in Euro 2008 where they went frok.basicslly England perennial QF at best team to winning everything and beating top teams regularly.

We've made strides in the last 8 years and yes we beat Germany and Netherlands in euros KO games (though I'd argue Germany weren't too strong and Netherlands are good but not in the top tier of teams). It's quite frankly embarrassing that we haven't beaten any top team in a WC KO match since 1966 or whatever though, that's an appalling record and until we correct that we won't win anything as even though I really believe we are a better team than Argentina, you see that mentality once we go ahead time and time again that we just sit back and it NEVER works!!! It works sometimes against poorer teams without the belief, but against the top teams you can't sit and bunker fork the 60th minute lol.

Until we beat a truly good team (Spain/France) in a KO game I'm not sold on us winning anything. We've got the players to do it but we just don't perform when it matters. Today was an embarrassment and add it to the list of what if moments that sadly gets longer and longer.

Even worse that it's against a thoroughly dislikeable nation like Argentina, who now have beaten us in the last three KO games. A dirty team full of unlikeable characters

 

I can’t decide which of Argentina or Spain winning will look worse for Tuchel and the FA.

If we thrashed in the third place match surely he goes. The mood will be even more toxic.

 

That's all on him.

Took a squad where he was completely dependent on the same 13-14 players despite this tournament having an extra round of games and having an utterly exhausting schedule/conditions.

And all because he didn't trust his squad depth, which he picked. Now the players have been completely overworked into the ground, because of his lack of rotation.

Even the fans were feeling fatigued from this tournament, like it's dragging on. I can only imagine how the players felt.

 

Thomas Müller: "I cannot believe and understand how England approached this game after they're leading. I cannot understand how they invited Argentina to play one cross after the other in perfect crossing positions" pic.twitter.com/QdOW5Q6zlV

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) July 15, 2026

 

He's not realistically going to go. He certainly won't be sacked. I don't see him walking out either, having just signed a new deal.

 

Yeah you summed it up very well! I’m just absolutely fuming! Gonna take me quite some time to get over this, it’s worse than anything Southgate put us through to be honest, probably because to be fair to Southgate most of the time he didn’t really have the players. Tuchel did but completely balls it up and I have no words anymore.

 

Saying what we all think to be honest, it’s just bizarre what Tuchel did.

 

And a other thing, Argentina holding up a sign saying the Falklands are Argentinian after the match, will fifs do anything about that? Pretty embarrassing tbh, I'm not sure why they care about a small subarctic island 300 miles offshore from them.

 

With how things are it’s more likely Trump will hold the same Banner up than FIfA giving them a punishment

 

We can only hope he is somehow removed before the Euros. The Nations League is where he needs to show he is learning. Two Spain matches for him to show it for a start.

 

The other myth this has blown through is that the reason we looked so poor earlier in the tournament was because our team was "designed to play against the best teams". It's amazing how much emperors new clothes nonsense was spewed based entirely on reputation. It turns out going life and death with DR Congo, and being frankly lucky not to lose to Ghana (given the late penalty they should have been given) weren't the signs of a team designed to play the best, but were instead a team that has been badly set up throughout.

Ironically tonight was one of our better set ups but there was no faith in it after we had the lead.

 

If you play seven defenders, you’re going to keep losing the ball over and over again. Southgate made those rookie mistakes early in his tenure, then eventually corrected them. You can’t expect Dan Burn to help you retain possession under pressure.we needed Mainoo, Saka, Cole Palmer too btw. Players who are good at keeping the ball under pressure, this is not rocket science.

 

I think we also have to accept that Lee Carsley might not even want the job. As much as he feels like the right technical fit for England I'm not that sure he's the right character for such a huge job.

Probably worth keeping an eye on how Lampard gets on the Prem. His eye for a player and his profiling of their strengths is the best aspect of his management imo and that translates really well to international football.

We're getting Tuchel until 2028 but hopefully that'll be as far as it goes. Next guy needs to be English.

 

I am fearful for Euro 2028. Think things are going to get worse and worse. But I am not sure the FA will go into having not offered Tuchel an extension to 2030. . Particularly if amwrong and the Nations League goes fairly well.

Graham Potter feels like an FA candidate. Ditto Eddie Howe.

 

🚨🚨| Jude Bellingham 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 Colo Barco in the head after the match. 😱🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿pic.twitter.com/pRqnuwP8hm

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) July 15, 2026

 

Nah he needs to go now. I can already tell we won’t do anything with him in charge.

 

I'm going to write some final thoughts be ause I'm pretty pissed off still, think I need to sleep.

The squad he picked was questionable, however I gave him a little bit of a pass to give him a chance to see if his crazy plans worked. Once livramento was injured, not picking a RB was a red flag.

Burn came on and did a job against Mexico and Norway, fair enough. But there are far too many I'm this squad that aren't up to standard or didn't get a chance. Why bring Toney if Kane was going to play 90 mins every game? Watkins should've seen more game time and no need for 3 strikers if Tuchel wasn't going to use them.

Midfield options - well we all know these were atrocious. It's pretty shocking he didn't pick some back ups to Rice/Anderson and wasted a spot on Henderson.

Palmer/Foden missing out I was ok with, and actually didn't mind the rest of the forward choices for the gameplan he had, just a shame Madueke was poor.

A clear out is needed:

1. Henderson needs to retire and call it a day
2. Thanks Burn for the memories in azteca but he isn't the answer for anything in the future.
3. Pickford made some good saves but sick of his kicking and noodling on the ball. Time to integrate a new keeper.
4. Madueke is just not up to the standard for a top tier team
5. Gordon seems to have been a good find, Rio and Dowman to potentially come in. We must pick midfielders that hold the ball, we have them but don't use them.

Ultimately, this tournament was a failure due to the way we imploded. A total kick in the teeth to go out with Jude/Kane in the form.of their lives and we sit back like cowards and don't even give them a chance.

 

Well Fernandes did it in the third minute so I don't see the issue here.

 

Yeah, the annoying thing about losing to these is that their players were always going to get weird after the game if they won.

It's a bit of a pattern that after we lose in a tournament the opposition players decide to goad us.

I guarantee if we'd won there'd have been absolutely nothing from our players. I think you can argue we show too much respect at times because we often don't get it back.

 

I don’t see any manager wanting D Henderson as first choice so it’s all up to Trafford and where he goes. Unless Rushworth becomes sensational next season.

 

Tuchel has refused to do the decent thing and resign.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he will stay on as England boss despite the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Before the tournament, the German extended his contract through to Euro 2028, which is being co-hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Tuchel said at his post-match news conference in Atlanta: "We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros.

"I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead."

I hope the He and the FA realise majority of fans and the media are never going to forgot tonight and will no longer give him some of any positive respect or coverage from now on,

 

he was hired to win this game