I warned them against Mexico — England legend explains reason for collapse against Argentina

Former England striker Michael Owen has criticised manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical cowardice after Argentina eliminated the Three Lions from the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final.

Tuchel's side suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday, effectively bringing an end to their pursuit of the title.

England initially took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute. They surrendered the advantage late in the second half after sitting back to absorb pressure.

Enzo Fernández equalised in the 85th minute, which set the stage for Lautaro Martínez to secure the victory for Argentina deep into stoppage time.

The turning point arrived when Tuchel introduced a wave of defensive substitutes to protect the slender lead.

The German coach replaced Gordon, Reece James, and Declan Rice with defenders Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, and Nico O'Reilly to form a deep back five.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Owen contrasted England's passive approach with Spain's proactive 2-0 victory over France a day earlier.

"Watch Spain at 1-0 last night; that’s courage," Owen stated, per the Daily Mail. "That’s bravery. And then watch England at 1-0. What’s the difference?"

Owen insisted the talent pool available to Tuchel should have dictated a more dominant display.

"We are a better team than Argentina; I’ve no doubt in my mind," he added. "But we deserved to get beat in the end. In fact, it could have been 4-1."

The former Liverpool forward noted he had identified the team's structural flaws earlier in the tournament.

Following England's prior fixture against Mexico, Owen warned that relying on deep defensive blocks and surrendering possession would eventually cost them against elite opposition.

He argued the late collapse against Argentina simply proved his earlier assessment. "Bringing on 3 defenders at 1-0 up; what message does that send?" Owen asked.

"I wrote it in my Daily Mail column after the Mexico game. Until we understand that courage and bravery is controlling possession under pressure and not booting or heading it up the field 40 yards, then this will always be the end result."

For Argentina, the victory represents their first World Cup knockout triumph over England since their penalty shootout win in the 1998 Round of 16, a match where a young Owen famously announced himself with a stunning individual goal.