“We’re disappointed. We were so close, but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances,” Tuchel told the BBC.
“We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots.
Thomas Tuchel said England were too “passive” in their defeat to Argentina. Photo / AFP
“We were close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored.”
Tuchel is likely to face serious scrutiny for his substitutions, notably the decision to bring off goalscorer Gordon for defender Ezri Konsa in the 72nd minute.
“I did also offensive substitutions in the last games. We just tried to help the players,” he said.
“We conceded a chance straight away, and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open.
“Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances, so we tried to help.
“Of course, the responsibility is on the coach, and if it doesn’t go well, it is easy to say it was wrong.”
Asked why England had shied away from a more adventurous approach when leading, Tuchel replied: “Yes, but it doesn’t help if you can’t get the ball. We couldn’t get out.
“Of course, we wanted to go for the second goal, but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help.
“We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball, so I think it was not a structural problem; we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.”
Tuchel admitted he expected to face criticism for his decisions.
“It’s no problem, I can understand these discussions are out there, and there are millions of coaches after the game who know it better.”
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