England's World Cup Exit Leaves Tuchel Facing Critical Questions Ahead of Euro 2028

When the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel as head coach, the expectation was that the German would guide England to a major international final. Instead, a tactical collapse in the closing minutes of a World Cup semi-final against Argentina has left the team and its supporters searching for answers.

England took the lead against a hungry Argentine side but ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat, snatching loss from the jaws of victory. Rather than preparing for a World Cup final, Tuchel now faces a critical rebuilding period ahead of Euro 2028, which England will co-host.

Immediate Challenges: Nations League and Euro 2028 Qualifying

England's next fixture is a Nations League meeting with Spain at Wembley on 26 September. The match could have been a World Cup final replay had events unfolded differently. The Three Lions will also face Czechia and Croatia in the same competition.

Beyond that, the qualifying programme for Euro 2028 begins next year. Despite being co-hosts of the tournament, England are required to participate in qualifying matches. Tuchel, whose contract has already been extended by the FA, must now rebuild both his squad and his tactical ethos.

The Striker Dilemma: Life Beyond Kane

Harry Kane arrives at this crossroads in the form of his life, having scored 61 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season. He added six more at the World Cup. However, time is not on his side. The captain turns 33 on 28 July, and after the Argentina defeat, he described it as "too early" to discuss whether he would play at the 2030 finals.

Kane will almost certainly feature at Euro 2028, and lifting a trophy on home soil could serve as a fitting conclusion to his international career. The problem is not who starts up front, but rather who can replace or rotate with Kane when needed.

Tuchel took two alternative central strikers to the World Cup in Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, yet both were barely used. Watkins, the top-scoring English striker in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, played just six minutes as a substitute against Panama. Toney, also 30, was given only the final moments of stoppage time against Argentina. Morgan Rogers replaced Kane in stoppage time against Mexico, but otherwise the captain played every minute.

The pool of alternatives is shallow and ageing. Dominic Solanke, 28, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 29, are the only other strikers Tuchel has used in the past 12 months. Last season, only Watkins, Calvert-Lewin with 14 goals, and 35-year-old Danny Welbeck with 13 reached double figures in the Premier League among English strikers.

Hopes that Eddie Nketiah, the England Under-21 all-time record goalscorer, might emerge as a solution have dimmed. He has managed just five Premier League goals across two seasons at Crystal Palace. Liam Delap, 23, scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024-25 and may yet develop further, potentially at Chelsea or elsewhere.

Midfield Trust and the Mainoo Mystery

Tuchel's reluctance to use Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo emerged as a significant talking point during the tournament. Despite needing to rotate in midfield at various stages, the coach opted for Reece James or Nico O'Reilly in the deep-lying role rather than turning to Mainoo.

The 21-year-old returned to Old Trafford as the only outfield player in the original 26-man squad not to play a single minute at the World Cup. The situation raises an obvious question: if Tuchel did not trust Mainoo as a deputy, why was he selected at all?

England do have younger options who may develop. Adam Wharton, 22, has four caps and was considered unfortunate to miss out on the squad. Alex Scott, also 22, was invited to the pre-tournament training camp in Florida but is still awaiting his debut. Tuchel must identify a player he trusts in the defensive midfield position, or risk relying on defenders as makeshift solutions once again.

In goal, Jordan Pickford will be 34 by the time Euro 2028 arrives, providing short-term stability. Beyond him, however, England need James Trafford, widely regarded as Pickford's long-term successor, to begin playing regularly after spending a year on the bench at Manchester City.

Contract Extension, Tactics, and a Mentality Question

The FA announced Tuchel's two-year contract extension in February, just hours before the Nations League draw. The federation's reasoning was straightforward: it believed it had secured an elite coach for the home European Championship and wanted to eliminate speculation about his future.

Tuchel had qualified England for the World Cup with a perfect record of eight wins from eight matches and no goals conceded. Critics, however, argued that the achievement was essentially a formality given the group featured Andorra, Albania, Latvia, and Serbia. The only time England faced a top-20 ranked nation, they lost to Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground.

The FA hired Tuchel believing his tactical acumen would prevent the kind of perceived naivety that dogged Gareth Southgate's tenure. Yet against Argentina, a similar collapse occurred, arguably in more damaging fashion. Tuchel had told his players at half-time during a 4-2 group-stage win over Croatia to play "even if we lose, let's do it our way." What followed was arguably England's finest 45 minutes of the tournament. The second half against Argentina was the opposite.

Centre-back Marc Guehi told BBC Sport that the team should have continued pushing, but instead the mentality shifted to defending after scoring. The statistics paint a stark picture: England held just 12% possession after taking the lead. For a period of 18 minutes and 37 seconds before Argentina's equaliser, England completed only three passes, all between Jordan Pickford and John Stones. Five other passes were attempted, all unsuccessful.

Tuchel's decision to strip the team of attacking outlets drew criticism, and his choice not to select Trent Alexander-Arnold, even when Tino Livramento was injured on the eve of England's first game, remains a point of contention. The manager retains the FA's backing but may have lost some supporters, and he will have to absorb the criticism that follows.

Following a quarter-final win over Norway, an irritated Tuchel responded to questions about mentality by insisting the team possessed it. Yet the semi-final defeat felt less like a glorious failure and more like a surrender. While Tuchel must accept responsibility for his tactical approach, the inability of the 11 players on the pitch to retain possession or mount any meaningful response cannot be laid solely at his door.

As England look toward the Nations League and Euro 2028 qualifying, the questions are mounting. Can Tuchel find a reliable understudy for Kane? Will he trust his younger midfielders? And does this squad possess the mentality to see out a lead on the biggest stage? Share this article and let us know your thoughts on what England must fix before the home Euros.

Source: BBC Sport