Wayne Rooney has criticised Thomas Tuchel’s tactical changes during England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the manager’s defensive substitutions caused the players to “lose belief” as they surrendered their lead.
According to a report by Metro on Thursday, July 16, 2026, England appeared on course for their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions the lead in the 55th minute at Atlanta Stadium.
However, Argentina staged a dramatic comeback, with Enzo Fernandez equalising before Lautaro Martinez scored an injury-time winner to send the defending champions into the final.
As England sought to protect their advantage, Tuchel introduced Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly in place of Gordon, Reece James and Declan Rice, switching to a more defensive setup as Argentina increased the pressure.
Speaking after the match, Rooney questioned the effect of those substitutions on England’s attacking players.
“If you’re an attacking player on that pitch and you go 1-0 up, and you see the changes that the manager is making, you’re losing belief. And you’re thinking there’s only so many times we are going to get away with it. The changes we made didn’t help us,” Rooney said.
The former England captain argued that Tuchel’s side surrendered possession and attacking intent after taking the lead, allowing Argentina to dominate the closing stages of the contest.
Rooney said England should have continued to play on the front foot instead of trying to defend a narrow advantage for more than 30 minutes.
“It’s a panic, a real panic. You can’t go a goal up and then surrender the ball, surrender any opportunity to try to get the second goal. That’s what you want to do, you want to be on the front foot,” he added.
England’s defensive approach ultimately failed to preserve their lead as Fernandez levelled the score before Martinez completed Argentina’s comeback deep into stoppage time.
The defeat ended England’s hopes of reaching the World Cup final. The Three Lions will now face France in the third-place play-off, while Argentina take on Spain in the final.
