‘Asking for trouble’ – Wayne Rooney leads blistering criticism of Thomas Tuchel as England collapse against Argentina

THOMAS TUCHEL was “asking for trouble” with his defensive substitutions, claims former England captain Wayne Rooney. The Three Lions led Argentina until the 85th minute only to collapse late on and lose 2-1. Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock on 55 minutes, with boss Tuchel subsequently looking to shut up shop. The England boss brought on Ezri Konsa for Gordon on 72 minutes, immediately after the second half hydration break. He then turned to Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly in place of injured Reece James and Declan Rice. On Tuchel’s changes, Rooney said: “We got ourselves in such a good position and we didn’t know what to do. READ MORE IN SPORT “We sat back, allowed them to come on to us. They put us under pressure and we cracked. As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they’d get the second. “When you go on top, you have to stay on top. We go 1-0 up, then sit back, make changes, go five or six at the back. If you allow (Lionel) Messi and Argentina to come onto you, you’re asking for trouble.” Enzo Fernandez scored a brilliant strike from range in the 85th minute, with Lautaro Martinez’s 92nd minute header completing the turnaround. Tuchel threw on Ivan Toney and Marcus Rashford on 96 minutes, but the damage was done. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS England ratings vs Argentina: Kane quiet when it matters most but Spence shines ENGLAND’s bid to reach their first World Cup final since 1966 ended in a heartbreaking, yet predictable, defeat to Argentina. Thomas Tuchel’s side suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Lionel Messi and Co at the Atlanta Stadium this evening. Anthony Gordon sent the travelling Three Lions fans into a state of ecstasy in the 53rd minute when he ghosted in at the back post to tap the ball home inside the 18-yard box. England tried to protect their lead as Thomas Tuchel made a host of defensive substitutions. And they inevitably sat way too deep, allowing Enzo Fernandez to rifle the ball past Jordan Pickford in the 85th minute with a rocket from outside the 18-yard-box. England were shell-shocked and never looked like holding out until extra-time. And super-sub Lautaro Martinez was at hand to break Three Lions fans’ hearts across the globe with a free header at the back post in the 92nd minute. Here is how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated England stars’ performances on a dismal day in Atlanta… Rooney added: “These fans have spent a lot of money to be out here. I expected more in this game. “Argentina are the world champions. We knew it was going to be the difference. “The changes we made didn’t help us. Devastated. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win these tournaments.” Rooney’s fellow Beeb pundits Joe Hart and Micah Richards were also frustrated by Tuchel’s changes. Hart, 39, said: “Gareth Southgate took a lot of criticism for the big moments with England, when they had the lead in big games and shutting up shop. “I don’t see that anything has changed in that big moment out there. For as much praise as we have given Thomas Tuchel, for him to change it as soon as he did, that is him saying he didn’t believe in his team, that he didn’t think they could land any more punches on Argentina.” Richards, 38, added: “Thomas Tuchel was brought in to be the difference. Tactically, we all thought he got it wrong today. “When we went to five at the back. I thought we could have kept the momentum going and brought on wingers. Ultimately, we didn’t have the answers.” Alan Shearer, who commentated on the game, said on BBC 5Live: “He played his cards very, very early, Thomas, in the hope that England could hang on, and it’s backfired. But those decisions are the ones that make such a difference. “We were praising him for what he did, going to five at the back, in the previous two games when England were under huge pressure. “Now I guess we’ve gone the other way and are thinking: ‘Could he have just changed something different and put a bit more pace on?’ Because everything was coming back at England. “They didn’t have an outlet, because whenever they won the ball they had no energy. They were physically and mentally done once Argentina got that first goal.” Shearer added on X: “Best team won. The changes left us without an out ball. We had 6 defenders on with 25 mins left. Frustrating.” And Michael Owen tweeted: “Watch Spain at 1-0 last night. That’s courage. That’s bravery. “And then watch England at 1-0. What’s the difference? We are a better team than Argentina, I’ve no doubt in my mind. “But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1. Bringing on three defenders at 1-0 up. What message does that send? “Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting / heading it up the field 40 yards then this will always be the end result.” Boss Tuchel defiantly said: “I did also offensive substitutions in the last games, we just tried to help the players. We conceded [a chance] straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open. “They won every header, they kept crossing and crossing so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air. 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.” On his side’s late collapse, captain Harry Kane said: “We struggled to get pressure on the ball. “Especially first half and start of the second half, we pressed them well, we put them under loads of pressure high up the pitch which then allowed us to win balls and control the game a bit better. “After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man for man, it was just wave after wave. “Lads were putting blocks in but, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.”