German coach Thomas Tuchel, manager of England's national team, has defended his controversial substitutions during his team's 1-2 loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final, saying the team was "waiting to die" after failing to cope with mounting pressure.
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England is preparing for the return of national team competitions, with Tuchel set to announce his squad ahead of Nations League matches against Spain, Croatia, and Czechia, in his first matches since the painful World Cup exit.
The German coach still finds himself revisiting the semi-final defeat, after England squandered their lead following an Anthony Gordon goal, before Argentina turned the result around with two late goals through Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, booking their place in the final.
Tuchel faced widespread criticism for surrendering the initiative and making a series of defensive substitutions in the second half, but he affirmed that his decisions came as a result of his team's inability to cope with Argentina's attacking shift.
Tuchel said in a documentary on the England national team's app: "You can try to kill me here. But this is my wound, not yours. Nobody hurts more than me, nobody wanted to win more than me."
He added: "They can torture you endlessly, and you keep thinking: if I had made different substitutions, we would have won the match. But you simply don't know that."
He explained that the fatigue visible on England's players, alongside the success of playing with five defenders during the wins over Mexico and Norway, influenced his decision to hold onto the lead.
He said: "When I look back and think about what happened to my decision-making, there was a pivotal moment, we conceded a very dangerous chance right before the water break."
He continued: "And I thought: we're not going to hold on. This is waiting to die. We're not keeping possession, we're not defending well, and we're not defending properly with a 4-4-2. We need help."
He went on: "I think, based on what I saw, and the experience, the information, and the level of madness Argentina was showing, making one attacking change after another, that was the solution I found to the problem."
Tuchel concluded: "That's the coach's role, to intervene. I'm trying to help, you don't carry out a decision out of ego or for any reason like that. You're just trying..."
