Reversed by Argentina! Reports say many England players cried and blamed Tuchel, shocked by his decision to drop two key starters.

Despite England's 6-4 victory over France in the bronze medal game, which earned them their best World Cup result in six decades, the regret of being overturned by Argentina in the semifinals remains fresh. The Daily Telegraph reported on July 19 that several England players were in tears in the dressing room following the loss.

Unlike the 2024 European Championship final where they were edged out by Spain, then-manager Gareth Southgate broke down crying in Berlin, evoking sympathy from many players who had fought alongside him in multiple tournaments.

This time, however, only the players shed tears. Manager Thomas Tuchel still insisted after the match that his tactics were correct and that he had no regrets about opting for a defensive blockade.

Asource said of the 1-2 loss, "We gave the victory away." When asked if the players were blaming Tuchel, he replied simply and briefly, "Big time.".

In that semifinal, Tuchel's multiple lineup decisions were questioned by England players. For instance, when he decided to substitute goal-scorer Gordon, he should have brought on a pacey player.

However, Tuchel kept Saka on the bench, which frustrated the players. At the same time, he kept bringing on more defenders, which the England players saw as voluntarily surrendering control.

Additionally, Aston Villa defender Konsa was left out of the starting lineup for the semifinal, also drawing criticism from the players. Konsa had started every match in the World Cup prior to that, and whenever he played the full 90 minutes, England had never lost. Some teammates even considered him a lucky charm because of his unbeaten record.

As a result, after the reversal by Argentina, the usually compliant defender Guehi and captain Kane both publicly criticized the team's tactics in interviews, expressing shock at Tuchel's defensive approach and full retreat after taking a 1-0 lead.

There was a widespread belief in the squad that the Argentine team was not invincible, and that Tuchel had caused England's World Cup dream to be delayed for another four years.