Former Sheffield United ace Kyle Walker criticises Thomas Tuchel after England's World Cup exit
England were knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina on Wednesday night after conceding two late goals.
Former Sheffield United right-back Kyle Walker has criticised England head coach Thomas Tuchel for his substitutions in the Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night.
England exited the World Cup at the semi-final stage for the second time in the last three tournaments after Argentina scored two late goals to flip the game on its head and seal a 2-1 victory. They will now face Spain in Sunday’s final in New Jersey.
Following a scrappy first half, England got their noses in front ten minutes after the break when Anthony Gordon steered home Morgan Rogers’ excellent cross from the right flank. However, from that moment onwards, the Three Lions, who have not reached the final since securing their first and only World Cup crown in 1966, retreated and attempted to protect their lead.
Gordon was replaced by Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa with 72 minutes played, marking Tuchel’s first defensive change, before fellow defenders Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly were introduced ten minutes later. Argentina equalised via Enzo Fernández’s strike from distance just three minutes after their introductions.
Argentina piled on even more pressure in the closing stages, determined to avoid extra time, and they got the job done when substitute Lautaro Martínez headed in Lionel Messi’s pinpoint cross in the second minute of injury time.
“We have to look at the subs,” Walker told The Sun. “I can’t beat around it.
“And the manager needs to look at himself with the changes he made. Tuchel won praise for going to a back five when we were down to ten men against Mexico and defending with our lives which worked. But this was 11 v 11.
“I’ve said before that subs can be a gamble. It’s a flip of a coin and, if it goes really well, the manager gets praise for them. Or it can go wrong like it did this time.
“He’s taken off Anthony Gordon and put on Ezri Konsa and it means you give Argentina a free hit to make the subs they want because they don’t really have to worry about the attacking power of England.
“We’ve decided to be a bit negative instead of counteracting and chucking more of our attacking strength on. Plenty of people watching have never kicked a ball in professional football in their lives but they could see what was coming.”
Walker, who was linked with a return to Bramall Lane earlier this year, was part of the England side that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the final of the European Championship in 2021 and 2024.
This summer’s tournament marked the first Walker, who announced his retirement from international football earlier this year, had played no part in since the 2014 World Cup.