England manager Thomas Tuchel has dismissed the notion of a 'curse' on the national team following their 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to reigning champions Argentina on Wednesday. The loss means England's pursuit of a second World Cup triumph, and their first final appearance since 1966, continues. Tuchel emphasised a footballing perspective, describing the high-stakes encounter as 'two separate games' rather than attributing the outcome to historical misfortune.
England had appeared on course to break their semi-final hoodoo when Anthony Gordon put them ahead in the 55th minute. However, Argentina subsequently seized control of the match, with Tuchel's side unable to withstand the pressure or regain possession, ultimately conceding two late goals. "I love to see these things in a football matter and not through football curses," Tuchel stated, adding, "I don't believe so much in an English thing and in a curse or whatever, history repeating itself in these moments. It's just like it's different coaches, different players, different situations, different opponents. So I think basically I believe in the football thing."
The German manager acknowledged that England's opening goal marked a significant turning point. "I think at that point of the match, it was deserved, that we take our moment and go 1-0 up," Tuchel commented. "Unfortunately, and strangely enough, it marked then a complete momentum switch in the game." He observed that Argentina played with increased risk and rhythm after falling behind, potentially feeling they had 'nothing to lose', which in turn seemed to inhibit England, who suddenly felt they had 'a lot to lose'. This sentiment underpinned his view of the match as distinctly split into pre-goal and post-goal phases.
Despite guiding England through challenging group and knockout stages against teams like DR Congo, Mexico, and Norway to reach the semi-finals, Tuchel is already facing scrutiny for his tactical adjustments after taking the lead against Argentina. Critics have suggested his approach became overly defensive. Addressing this, Tuchel remarked, "That's just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose, you get criticised. No one knows what would have happened if you made different decisions. So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I'm responsible for them. I took them, so I take the criticism."
England now face a third-place play-off against France on Saturday, a match Tuchel acknowledged is an 'unwanted consolation prize'. While recognising that reaching the semi-finals is an achievement, especially given many major footballing nations were eliminated earlier, the manager indicated that neither he nor the squad are currently in a reflective mood. "No one wants to hear that at the moment. Me neither, because we demand the most of ourselves."