Former Tottenham player Jamie O’Hara has called for England manager Thomas Tuchel to be sacked following the devastating defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
England went 1-0 up in the match via a goal from Anthony Gordon before two strikes from Argentina – thanks to assists from Lionel Messi – sent the Three Lions crashing out of the tournament on Wednesday night.
The result means that England’s 60-year wait to bring the World Cup trophy home will continue for another four years at the minimum.
England will now compete against France for third place in the tournament on Saturday, July 18 in the ‘Bronze Final’.
O’Hara, who is widely known for co-hosting on talkSPORT, was far from pleased with how the match played out and has called for the England boss to be sacked.
Semi-final heartbreak
Speaking on talkSPORT’s World Cup Sports Bar podcast, O’Hara said: “Heartbreak – we’re crestfallen here guys, crestfallen.
“England out of the World Cup against Argentina. We go 1-0 up and Thomas Tuchel made one of the worst managerial decisions I’ve ever seen ever from a manager.
“Unbelievable stuff, unbelievable. Same old England, same old England.”
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Calling out Tuchel
O’Hara then showed no sympathy for Tuchel as he demanded the manager’s head.
He stated: “You’re playing against Argentina. You can’t sit off for 25 minutes against Argentina!
“He absolutely bottled it. Thomas Tuchel’s cost us the World Cup. He cost us the World Cup!
“We’re 1-0 up. Played well first off, alright cagey affair. We go 1-0 up – be brave, be brave Thomas.
“This is what we brought you in for. We brought you in for this moment.
“We got rid of [Gareth] Southgate because he bottled it, because he wasn’t brave. We brought you in for now to make that decision.”
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Wrong tactical decisions
Continuing his rant, O’Hara argued that Tuchel’s defensive tactics were the wrong choice.
He suggested the manager should have tried to increase the lead rather than defend it, saying: “We’re 1-0 up in a World Cup semi-final. Bring on [Marcus] Rashford, bring on [Bukayo] Saka, and if they score, they score.
“But at least we’re going to go down fighting, they’re going to go down with some pride.
“We fell out of the World Cup in disgrace because of him and we brought him in for this job. This is what we brought him in for – to get us over this line!
“And it’s the same old England, same old crap, same old guff that I have to watch every tournament that we’re in, and it’s the manager that’s tucked us up again.
“I can’t believe it, it’s a disgrace. He should be sacked. Get him out, gone!”
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