England’s World Cup campaign ended in painful fashion as Thomas Tuchel’s side surrendered a 2-1 lead to Argentina in the dying minutes of their semi-final.
The Football Association had not anticipated such a meek exit when they appointed Tuchel as head coach, and questions are now mounting over his approach.
England now turn their attention to the Nations League, beginning with a meeting against Spain at Wembley on 26 September, a fixture that could have been a World Cup final replay.
Tuchel, whose England contract has already been extended, must also prepare his squad for a qualifying programme ahead of Euro 2028, which England will contest as co-hosts.
Harry Kane scored six goals at the World Cup and remains central to Tuchel’s plans, but the Bayern Munich striker turns 33 on 28 July and time is beginning to work against him.
Kane himself acknowledged after the Argentina defeat that it was “too early” to discuss his involvement at the 2030 World Cup, suggesting Euro 2028 may represent his final chapter.
Ollie Watkins, the top-scoring English striker in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, played just six minutes at the tournament, replacing Kane against Panama.
Ivan Toney and Watkins were each limited to a single minor substitute appearance, pointing to a worrying over-reliance on Kane that must be addressed before the home Euros.
Liam Delap, who scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024-25, represents one potential option for the future, though he is still only 23 and finding his level.
Kobbie Mainoo’s complete absence from the tournament is another troubling subplot, with the Manchester United midfielder becoming the only outfield player in the original 26-man squad not to receive a single minute of game time.
Rather than turn to Mainoo during midfield disruptions, Tuchel opted to deploy Reece James and Nico O’Reilly in the deep-lying role, a decision that raised serious questions about his faith in the 21-year-old.
Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, both 22, also remain on the periphery, and Tuchel must find trusted rotation options at the base of midfield ahead of Euro 2028.
The tactical collapse against Argentina was damning in its detail, with England completing just three passes between Jordan Pickford and John Stones during a stretch of 18 minutes and 37 seconds before the equaliser.
Centre-back Marc Guehi was candid in his assessment, telling BBC Sport: “We should have carried on pushing. It kind of felt like we scored and the mentality was, go back, defend.”
Tuchel had spoken boldly about mentality after the 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway, snapping “Mentality? Mentality? This is pure mentality” when pressed on the subject, but those words rang hollow after the Argentina defeat.
England’s possession of just 12 per cent after taking the lead illustrated an inability to manage games that goes beyond individual tactical decisions and points to deeper collective issues.
Tuchel told players at half-time of the 4-2 group stage victory over Croatia “even if we lose, let’s do it our way,” and what followed was arguably England’s finest 45 minutes of the tournament.
The second half against Argentina was the complete opposite, and Tuchel must now explain why his side so catastrophically abandoned the principles that had served them so well.
Questions also remain over the right-back position and his decision not to select Trent Alexander-Arnold, even after Tino Livramento was injured on the eve of England’s opening match.
Tuchel retains the backing of the FA, but with Euro 2028 on home soil and expectations at their highest, he has little margin for error in the cycle that now lies ahead.
