It all felt rather familiar as England exited the World Cup with a 2-1 semi-final defeat by Argentina. Too pragmatic, poor use of substitutes, sitting back too deep – criticisms once levelled at Sir Gareth Southgate now attached to Thomas Tuchel, the German brought in to signal a change of approach and deliver a first World Cup in 60 years.
Tuchel himself had diagnosed the problem 16 months earlier, saying England under Southgate lacked “the identity, the clarity, the rhythms, the repetition of patterns, the freedom of players, the expression of players, the hunger.” He added: “[England] were more afraid to drop out of the tournament… than having the excitement and hunger to win it.” Fast forward to July 2026 and Tuchel’s own side fell to Argentina, his analysis of his predecessor now fitting his own team.
“England lost 2-1 to Argentina in World Cup semi-final, prompting comparisons to Southgate era; Southgate linked to USMNT.”
The German had taken a system-first approach, leaving out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold to prioritise specific tactics and “repetition of patterns”. He selected similar profiles to maintain a single plan A – which ultimately did not work. By the end of the tournament, partly driven by injuries, he fielded Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham together, with Rogers on the right wing.
Just hours after England’s exit, Southgate – out of management since leaving England after Euro 2024 – was tipped to replace Mauricio Pochettino as United States head coach. Pochettino’s contract expires this summer after the US bowed out with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium. ESPN senior editor Caitlin Murray argued: “The international game… just doesn’t work the same way as the 30-plus-game season of a club game… the USMNT needs a manager with a proven track record on the international level and in tournament soccer. On that basis, Southgate warrants a look.”
Pochettino, when asked about his future after the Belgium loss, said: “Now is not a moment to talk about that… I’m sure in the next weeks we can start to talk if [U.S. Soccer] wants to talk.” Whether Southgate returns to management remains an open question – but the cycle of criticism and failure that defined England’s tournament has, for now, found a familiar echo.
