‘He failed’: Danny Murphy says Thomas Tuchel should not keep England job after World Cup | Football news

England coach Thomas Tuchel (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy believes Thomas Tuchel should not continue as England manager despite guiding the Three Lions to their best FIFA World Cup finish in 60 years, insisting that Germany’s tactical decisions in their semi-final defeat to Argentina denied the team a place in the final. England responded to last-four disappointment by beating France 6-4 in an entertaining third-place play-off, with Bukayo Saka returning to the starting XI to score a hat-trick after being left out against Argentina. Despite securing a bronze medal, Murphy argued that England’s overall campaign should not be considered a success. “He will keep his job, but I don’t think he should. He failed. They miss the World Cup final because of tactics. “They will be destroyed,” Murphy told BBC Sport. The former Liverpool midfielder was particularly critical of England’s cautious approach in the second half against Argentina. He felt that Tuchel failed to utilize most of the attacking quality in the squad leaving several key forwards on the bench. “There are so many incredibly, wonderfully gifted footballers in our team and that’s why it was so disappointing in the second half against Argentina, because most of them weren’t on the pitch. “The frustrating thing is that this level of forward thinking and creativity just wasn’t there against Argentina,” he added. Former England defender Stephen Warnock echoed those concerns, claiming England became overly defensive after taking the lead against the eventual finalists. He also questioned Tuchel’s decision to leave Bukaya Saka out of the starting line-up for the semi-final. “We all thought Thomas Tuchel would be the guy to take the handbrake off. “I’m just disappointed that we pulled away so quickly in that game,” Warnock said. Warnock also highlighted the lack of pace in England’s attack, arguing that Saka and Marcus Rashford could have caused Argentina far more problems. “I mean, how was the pace against Argentina? The performance of Bukaya Saka and Marcus Rashford and their ability to stretch the pitch… Pace kills everyone. It’s a defender’s worst nightmare and it’s so hard to defend against,” he added. Tuchel’s side eventually finished third after beating France in a high-scoring play-off, but debate over England’s tactical approach in the semi-final defeat to Argentina continues, with former internationals questioning whether the team could have gone a step further with their attacking strategy.