Thomas Tuchel has said he has 'no regrets' after England were knocked out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage by Argentina, losing 2-1 at Atlanta Stadium. That's the kind of thing managers say when they're trying to hold everything together, and fair play to him for keeping his composure, but it's hard to imagine the England fans in the stands felt quite the same way.
England scored first, which should have been the platform to build something special. Instead, Tuchel himself admitted that his side 'got too passive' after taking the lead, and that really is the crux of it. Sitting back when you're ahead against a side as experienced and as dangerous as Argentina is basically handing them an invitation. Messi and company don't need asking twice.
It's a pattern that has haunted England for years, to be honest. Score first, drop deep, invite pressure, concede. It's almost a tradition at this point, like a bad penalty shootout or a tournament exit on home soil. The talent in this squad is not the problem. The mentality when things are going well, that's where it gets complicated.
Tuchel is a smart manager and he deserves some credit for getting England to a World Cup semi-final, which is genuinely further than most of his predecessors managed. But there's a difference between being proud of the journey and being satisfied with how the game was managed once England had their noses in front. Dropping off and letting Argentina dictate the tempo was always going to end badly.
Whether Tuchel gets the time and backing to fix the passive tendencies in this squad will be the real story to follow. The Football Association tend to be trigger-happy with managers when the dust settles on a tournament, even when the result was closer than it looks on paper.
For now though, another World Cup has ended with England watching the final from their sofas. Some things never change.
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