Time to go Thomas! Five reasons why England coach Tuchel should be fired

The Football Association has vowed to stick with Thomas Tuchel following England’s disappointing exit from Argentina in the World Cup last night.

The German player recently signed a two-year contract that will include him in the 2028 European Championship to be played in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Unless he chooses to leave – which seems highly unlikely given his constant talk of his desire to lead the Three Lions to their home Euros – then Tuchel will be allowed to coach the club for at least another two years.

But is that the right call? Here are five reasons why the FA should act now and sack the former Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and PSG boss.

ENGLAND SECTION SELECTION

It was weird then and now it seems wrong. The lack of quality defenders was evident from the outset, relying heavily on injured players.
Reece James and Tino Livramento are rarely in good shape and so it was no surprise to anyone – bar maybe Tuchel – when both were hit with fitness problems. Livramento was forced to withdraw before the start of the match but, rather than realizing his mistake, Tuchel made up for it by bringing on another defender in Trevoh Chalobah.
Chalobah didn’t play a single minute while the likes of Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa and even Declan Rice were supposed to fill in at right back.
Tuchel’s insistence on ‘good actors’ also came back to bite him. The chemistry in the dressing room is good but the players have to be good enough. Dan Burn did the job against Mexico but was sadly missed while Jordan Henderson came up big when he broke his arm in celebration. No man should have been around the team when Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton spent the summer on the beach.

ENGLAND TEAM SELECTION

Tuchel’s team selection is also confused. Having been a key player in England’s qualifying campaign when it became clear that the defensive line was Marc Guehi, and another, the Manchester City man was left out of the starting XI for the first game against Croatia. It made no sense and Guehi was quickly brought back to the side.
England’s right attack also provided some head-scratching moments. The inclusion of Noni Madueke ahead of Bukayo Saka was unusual for the Arsenal defender to fail to impress. The use of Arsenal’s first winger may have been a better option. Having come in between two tournaments, Tuchel then selected Morgan Rogers for the semi-final against Argentina. Everything showed a lack of clarity and confused thinking.

USING KOBBIE MAINOO

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo did not play a single minute during the World Cup. Instead, Tuchel tried every possible method. Against Croatia, he switched James who looked tired and risked permanent injury to midfield where a smart move would have turned the 21-year-old. Against Panama, he took off Henderson with six minutes to go and left Mainoo on the bench.
Tuchel clearly doesn’t measure up to Mainoo. Okay, that’s his idea, but why are you hiring him in the first place?

PAINFUL TECHNIQUES

The most obvious and valid criticism of Tuchel was his eagerness to sit and invite teams. It was partly due to the game against Mexico where England were down to 10 men and looking to hold on to top spot at the Azteca.
But against Argentina, it was confusing. Having deservedly taken the lead 10 minutes after the break, the smart move would have been to tighten up the pitch and add pace to a bruising attack, preventing Argentina from holding the ball and ensuring England maintained a threat going forward.
Instead, Konsa introduced Anthony Gordon, England’s fastest attacking full-back. Burn and Nico O’Reilly were also brought off, meaning England had six full-backs on the pitch when Enzo Fernandez equalised. None of the six prevented Lionel Messi from crossing for the unknown Lautaro Martinez to head home two minutes into injury time.
Tuchel’s changes enabled Argentina to move the ball around at will and it seemed only a matter of time before the South American champions found a way.
England only managed two passes between Gordon’s goal and the equalizer and 12%. That was over 25 minutes. How Tuchel failed to recognize the problem and fix it will remain a mystery.

NOT DEDICATION

No one expected a mea culpa but a small admission that he might have done something wrong would have been welcome. Instead Tuchel said he had “no regrets” and was “happy” with the way his team played against Argentina. It seems that he was the only one with the communication captain Harry Kane who questioned the decision to sit down.
Tuchel also dismissed his critics by saying: “Yes, a million coaches after the game know better.
There is a confidence in Tuchel that is not reflected in his decisions. He suggested that Argentina’s ball-keeping DNA was not instilled in England players at a young age, yet he did not take England’s most technically gifted players, such as Wharton, Cole Palmer or Phil Foden.