What next for England? How does Tuchel fix key problems for Euro 2028?
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- England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final after taking the lead, with Argentina scoring in the final minutes to end their tournament
- Thomas Tuchel saw his contract extended by two years in February; his next assignment is a Nations League meeting with Spain at Wembley on 26 September, followed by Czechia and Croatia
- Harry Kane scored 6 goals at the tournament, played every minute except stoppage time against Mexico, turns 33 on 28 July, and said after the Argentina loss that it was 'too early' to talk about playing at the 2030 World Cup
- Ollie Watkins, the top-scoring English striker in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, was limited to just 6 minutes as a substitute against Panama, while Ivan Toney got only the dying moments of stoppage time against Argentina
- Kobbie Mainoo returned to Manchester United without playing a single minute — the only outfield player in England's 26-man squad not to feature — as Tuchel preferred Reece James or Nico O'Reilly in the deep-lying midfield role
- After going ahead against Argentina, England held just 12% possession and completed only 3 passes (all between Jordan Pickford and John Stones) in an 18-minute-37-second spell; centre-back Marc Guehi said: 'It kind of felt like we scored and the mentality was, go back, defend'
- Tuchel qualified England with 8 wins and 0 goals conceded, but only against Andorra, Albania, Latvia and Serbia; their only match against a top-20 FIFA-ranked nation was a friendly loss to Senegal
Why it matters: With the FA having already extended Tuchel through Euro 2028, the German cannot be dismissed mid-cycle, yet he has little cover for a 35-year-old Kane and a midfield where Mainoo — picked for the squad but not trusted on the pitch — remains the only natural rotation option, while the 3-passes-in-19-minutes collapse suggests a mentality issue deeper than any single coach.
