England manager, Thomas Tuchel, has claimed that the “DNA” of English football was responsible for their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup.
The Three Lions lost 2-1 to the current holders, despite taking the lead in the 55th minute.
It has led to heavy criticism of Tuchel’s tactics, which many feel were too defensive.
“In this moment, my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us,” Tuchel said.
“Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough, we didn’t stop runners arriving in our box and the deliveries were wrong too.
“I haven’t seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically. We couldn’t find any duels anymore; that’s why we dropped deeper and deeper. It was never the plan, but it happened.
“(We) couldn’t stop the runners from the second line, the midfielders, through our gaps, and the deliveries were on the highest level. You need to get back on the ball; otherwise you cannot break the pressure, and you cannot get the momentum back.
“I think ball possession plays a crucial role; it’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian-Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball.”