Tuchel hits back at substitution criticism: No regrets, this was our best game of the tournament, there are always millions who think they know better than me

In the second World Cup semifinal on July 16, Beijing time, England let a good situation slip away. After taking the lead, they allowed defending champions Argentina to score twice in a comeback, failing to reach the final for the first time in 60 years. After the match, England manager Tuchel responded to criticism of his "conservative substitutions."

Regarding this reversal defeat, Tuchel expressed his disappointment: "We were so close to victory, but after taking the lead we played too passively and gave the opponent too many chances. We failed to regain possession, which led to them creating numerous opportunities and shots through crosses."

As for his decision to switch to a "five-man defense" after taking the lead, Tuchel explained: "In previous matches, I made attacking substitutions, but as soon as we scored, the opponent immediately created chances. So this time we decided to play with five defenders, because the gaps on the pitch were too wide. Switching to five at the back was meant to block the inside gaps and strengthen our aerial defense. "

"Actually, even before the substitutions after the goal, we had already conceded too many crosses and chances, so we tried to adjust through substitutions."

Of course, Tuchel also admitted that as the coach, he must take responsibility for the loss: "We certainly wanted to go for a second goal, but at that time I didn't think bringing on attacking players would help. If the result is bad, it's easy for people to say the coach made the wrong decision. "

"That's fine, I can understand these discussions. After the game, there are always millions of 'coaches' who know it better than me. "

Tuchel also insisted that he had no regrets about his tactics and substitutions in this match: "Looking at the course of the game, this was one of our best performances in this tournament, maybe even the best. The team played very well, just fell short of crossing that line, but I have no regrets. "

With Tuchel failing to lead England to the final, the curse of foreign coaches never winning the World Cup continues.