18 July 2026
Tuchel Slated for Blaming English Football Rather Than Himself
Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew has delivered a withering verdict on Thomas Tuchel, arguing the England manager used the broader football culture as a shield after a damaging semi-final exit.
In a sharp piece for The Guardian, columnist Jonathan Liew argued that Thomas Tuchel chose to criticise English football culture rather than take personal responsibility for England's World Cup semi-final defeat. Liew contended that deflecting onto wider structural problems was an act of what he called cowardice.
The column points to specific moments in the match where England had openings but could not convert them, and argues that a coach employed to win the biggest moments instead detonated one. Liew was particularly critical of what he described as the small-mindedness and absence of ambition in Tuchel's approach.
Tuchel was brought in with a mandate to unlock a genuinely talented generation of English players. According to Liew, the semi-final raised serious questions about whether the manager has the vision to do that, regardless of whether he stays for Euro 2028 as he has pledged.
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