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Former England international Andros Townsend has come out strongly in defence of national team coach Thomas Tuchel after the Three Lions’ painful 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Townsend dismissed criticism surrounding Tuchel’s late tactical changes, describing them as “smart” decisions that were undermined by poor execution from the players on the field.

Tuchel’s tactics have been widely debated following England’s World Cup exit in Atlanta, with many pundits questioning his decision to substitute goalscorer Anthony Gordon in the 72nd minute for defender Ezri Konsa, which shifted the side into a more defensive five-man backline.

The switch appeared to backfire when late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez completed a dramatic Argentine comeback, sealing a 2-1 victory. Despite the backlash from fans and analysts, Townsend maintained that the players’ inability to defend effectively in key moments, rather than Tuchel’s strategy, was responsible for the collapse.

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor criticised Tuchel’s decision to adopt a defensive setup, arguing that it was ineffective if the players lacked the physicality to deal with Argentina’s aerial pressure. Townsend, however, was quick to counter this argument, insisting that individual defensive lapses cannot be attributed to the manager. “That’s not Thomas Tuchel’s fault,” Townsend emphasised. “If we didn’t win a single header from every cross that came into our box, you cannot blame the manager for that.”

One of the most debated moments was Tuchel’s decision to bring on Nico O’Reilly along with Dan Burn, while opting not to introduce attacking players such as Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, or Ollie Watkins. Agbonlahor argued that this move deprived England of any attacking outlet to relieve pressure. Townsend, however, insisted that O’Reilly’s inclusion was a “smarter choice” strategically aimed at containing Lionel Messi’s influence. “No, no. I think Nico O’Reilly was the right change,” Townsend explained. “I’ve watched Argentina twice in this World Cup, every single one of their matches. Messi starts high, then gradually drops deeper as the game progresses. You saw his positioning in the second half—it was almost like a right-sided central midfielder.”

Townsend further justified Tuchel’s selection, stating that deploying O’Reilly to track Messi’s deeper movements made far more sense than using an attacker in that role. “That’s what Messi does,” he said. “So Tuchel putting O’Reilly on to defend Messi higher up, in a left-wing position, was a smarter move with 15 minutes remaining than asking Rashford to mark him. That wouldn’t have worked.”

He also defended England’s overall approach in the closing stages, suggesting that the players executed the plan as best as possible despite being unable to relieve pressure going forward. “There was no out-ball,” Townsend added. “We tried. We had Morgan Rogers, Harry Kane, and Bellingham pressing high, but it wasn’t working. I’ve rewatched the match twice after the final whistle.”

Townsend’s staunch support of Tuchel highlights the divide in opinion surrounding England’s World Cup exit, with some blaming tactical conservatism and others pointing to lapses in concentration and composure on the pitch.