England 1-2 Argentina: Gary Neville says he won’t ‘loosen’ Thomas Tuchel as Three Lions issue rears their head again | football news

Gary Neville says he “will not be swayed” by criticism of Thomas Tuchel after England’s World Cup exit to Argentina, adding that he never expected the team to win the tournament.

The Three Lions boss has come under intense scrutiny for his tactics and substitutions in Atlanta, particularly after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead early in the second half.

Barcelona’s new winger was taken off in the 72nd minute by Izri Koncer as Tuchel’s side fell deeper and deeper under Argentine pressure. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez eventually scored twice to send the World Cup holders into Sunday’s final against Spain.

Sky Sports News The FA understands Tuchel’s position is not being considered and, for now, he will be in charge for Euro 2028 after a two-year contract extension before the World Cup.

Neville had a more balanced approach to England’s exit than some, and pointed to similar issues playing their part once more – when he was a player.

He said Sky Sports News: “A late night for England, but it was a good tournament. The fans will be hugely disappointed but I’ve never won a tournament from the start.

“Maybe the optimists among us thought we were going to win, but I never felt we were. I thought it was an incredible achievement to get to the semi-finals.

“The reality of it is some of the same patterns that have happened in tournaments with England over the last 20 to 30 years.

“The way Tuchel tried and won with 10 men against Mexico, where we were strong, resilient, tight, compact and crossed the line.

“He tried to do the same thing when he saw the game out, but there was an avalanche of pressure with a great cross and we just finished with quality and the second goal from (Lionel) Messi was great which he has.

“It’s something England teams have often been guilty of. I don’t know how you change it. I’ve been to eight tournaments as a player or coach – five of them we’ve been knocked out on penalties. A lot of them were diving too deep in our own box, not on the front foot. It’s the opposite of what English football is.

“What I can say – and I felt a lot of England players did last night – do your legs get heavy, you start to come under pressure, protect your lead, you think you can go over the line instead of thinking more positively about how you can counter-attack and get the second goal, keeping a clean sheet and keeping the ball out of your net.

“These are patterns that have come up time and time again. All of us who have played for England are guilty of it, so the idea of ​​taking Tuchel is not going to happen.

“I was a big part of the problem, just like the guys who played last night, which was sinking deep into our own box. It’s something about our mentality, we’ve done things that put pressure on ourselves and we’ve been knocked out of the tournament so many times. It’s not good enough.

“We didn’t have enough technical skills to play from the middle third. Players from other elite countries have the ability to keep possession at the highest pressure of the match. Then you add stardust like Messi, you go over the line. We couldn’t do that.

“It wasn’t the greatest night for Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. They had a quiet night by their standards. That second goal could have come from a bit of magic, those difference makers. That’s what you look for on a night like this.”

Should Tuchel’s future be questioned?

when Sky Sports Pundit Neville does not believe Tuchel should leave, pointing out some of the mistakes the German made and could reflect ahead of the next major tournament in 2028.

Neville added: “I don’t think about his future. I think the pressure on him to make a decision is legitimate, he tried to win it in a certain way.

“Most people wouldn’t agree with the way he approached it… He will get criticism because he was the big-ticket manager to be the difference-maker and game-changer at difficult moments – the fine line in international football where it’s a penalty, or a substitution or the last five minutes of a World Cup semi-final.

“He was brought in as someone who was able to deal with it and he didn’t cross the line, so he will come under pressure.

“But I never expected England to win this tournament. I didn’t think they were good enough. They were a bit lucky that they played some teams along the way that were favourable. So they came up against a team with elite experience of possession for the first time, they fell at the first fence of playing against an elite team.

“Ultimately, I don’t believe we hold the ball in the biggest games at the most important moments. That’s been England’s fault for years.

“And the squad that Tuchel chose was a counter-attacking team. He took technical players like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton and he didn’t play Kobi Mainu.

“It was a mistake not to bring on Mainu to try and take over the game and not bring on Bukayo Saka or Marcus Rashford for some pace. I think he will regret it, but he will know that and he will think about it himself.”

Does Neville stand by Romero’s comments after calling them ‘stupid’?

Neville has caught the attention of Argentina and Tottenham defenders Christian Romero After Wednesday’s game. he called Sky Sports Pundits ‘stupid’ for criticizing his centre-back pairing with Lisandro Martinez, with the Sky Sports pundit calling them ‘the best-worst centre-half pairing in the world’.

Romero said DSports: “The only thing I hope is that when I retire, I’m not as stupid. I hope I don’t criticize any players or anybody.”

It was only fair for the former Manchester United man to reply and he said Sky Sports News: “To add extra words to what I said: They score goals. They conceded six goals in four knockout matches.

“These two should hug Messi every day because he had to dig them out of the mud when they conceded two against Egypt, two against Cape Verde and one against England.

“But I said they’re unbelievable, and the strength of their nature in how they go and win games for their country – they go from great to ridiculous… they win every attacking header in the penalty box and sometimes in the defensive box.

“Romero played in a team that almost got relegated to the Premier League last year and conceded 65 goals, so I think I know what I’m talking about when I see a player.

“Romero is very talented, so is Lisandro Martinez, but they make mistakes, a lot of them and they concede goals.

“I just see a conflict in the game between them. He’s relatively young, Romero, so he’s not an experienced defender yet and he has incredible achievements. He’s won a World Cup. But without Lionel Messi last night and the last two tournaments… Argentina didn’t win last night because of their centre-backs they played best.”