Soccer
German World Cup winner joins chorus critical of Tuchel's England tactics
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Add Thomas Muller to the growing list of prominent footballing personalities questioning the tactics employed by England head coach Thomas Tuchel during the Three Lions' 2-1 loss to Argentina in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final.
England were just over a half-hour away from advancing to their first World Cup final in 60 years after Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions a 1-0 lead early in the second half of Wednesday's clash, but Tuchel elected to shift his side into a more defensive stance after the goal, with defenders Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly among the players introduced in order to protect the lead.
Argentina responded to Tuchel's changes by dominating the ball for the rest of the match after Gordon's goal, with La Albiceleste holding 88 per cent possession from the 55th minute onward.
That led to a pair of late Argentine goals, ending England's World Cup hopes in gut-wrenching fashion.
Muller, a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, registered his disbelief that England would collapse into a defensive shell after going ahead in the match.
“Argentina plays a hell of a game, and I cannot believe and understand how England approaches this game, and especially after they’re leading,” Muller said.
“I cannot understand to invite the whole Argentinean game to hit one cross after the other in perfect crossing positions, but no matter.”
Now plying his trade for the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS, Muller played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich for just over one season.
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