- World Cup: Trump Blames Tuchel For England’s Loss To Argentina
- Trump says Harry Kane should not have been deployed defensively.
- US President also comments on Folarin Balogun’s red card controversy.
United States President Donald Trump has criticised England manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactical approach during the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi finals of the FIFA World Cup.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Trump argued that Tuchel made a costly mistake by deploying England captain Harry Kane in a more defensive role after his side had taken the lead.
Speaking on Friday while reflecting on England’s exit from the tournament, the US President said the tactical switch allowed Argentina to regain momentum before completing a comeback victory to book a place in Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain.
England appeared on course for a place in the final after Anthony Gordon gave the Three Lions an early advantage.
However, Argentina responded strongly in the closing stages, with captain Lionel Messi inspiring the defending champions to score twice and seal a place in the final.
Reacting to the result, Trump suggested England became too defensive after opening the scoring.
“You have a great player in England who I’ve played golf with. And he is Harry [Kane] who has been fantastic.
“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him on defence.
“We got to be a little offensive, right. But no, I’m not going to call it, what do I know about coaching? But that was a little unusual,” Trump said.
Tuchel has faced criticism following the defeat after switching to a back five and introducing more defensively minded players in an attempt to protect England’s lead.
The tactical changes coincided with Argentina’s resurgence, as Messi inspired a comeback that secured the reigning champions another appearance in the World Cup final.
Reports also suggested that some England players were dissatisfied with the conservative instructions issued after the team went ahead.
Despite the criticism, Tuchel has defended his decisions, insisting every tactical adjustment was made in the best interests of the team.
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