This video can not be played How Argentina took advantage as England 'lost concentration' The last thing the Football Association was expecting when it landed Thomas Tuchel as head coach was a meek exit from an international tournament. But by taking the lead and then inviting on a hungry Argentina that is exactly what they got. A tactical misstep which led to England snatching a 2-1 defeat from the jaws of victory in the final minutes, and miss out on a place in the World Cup final.

Tuchel should have been able to look ahead to the next international cycle with optimism. But merely reaching a World Cup semi-final does not feel like something worth celebrating right now. Up next, a meeting with Spain at Wembley on 26 September in the Nations League. It could, maybe should, have been an instant replay of Sunday's World Cup final. England will also face Czechia and old foes Croatia in the Nations League.

Then next year comes the qualifying programme for Euro 2028, which the Three Lions will take part in despite being co-hosts. Tuchel, his England contract already extended, must now find a way to rebuild his squad and his ethos. There are key questions for the 52-year-old to answer.

This video can not be played 'Gutted!' - Kane disappointed over World Cup exit Harry Kane was in the form of his life in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 61 goals in all competitions. But time is against the Bayern Munich striker, who turns 33 on 28 July. The captain, who scored six goals at the World Cup, said after the loss to Argentina that it was "too early" to talk about playing at the finals in 2030. Kane will, though, surely be around for Euro 2028. Lifting a trophy on home soil could yet be the end of his international career. So who starts up front should not be a problem, barring injury.

Tuchel's key task is to work out a Plan B, or find an able understudy should Kane not be available. Phil Foden was given a chance in a false nine role against Uruguay in March, but he underperformed to such an extent that he missed out on the World Cup. Tuchel took two other central strikers, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. Yet they were limited to one minor substitute appearance each. Watkins, the top-scoring English striker in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, played just six minutes when he replaced Kane against Panama. Kane played every other minute save for stoppage time against Mexico, when Morgan Rogers replaced him. Toney, who like Watkins is 30, was only granted the final throes of stoppage time against Argentina. It suggests an over-reliance on Kane, and alternatives must be found to ease his workload as he approaches the age of 35.

Dominic Solanke (28) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (29) are the only other strikers to be used by England in the last 12 months. Watkins, Leeds' Calvert-Lewin (14) and the 35-year-old Brighton attacker Danny Welbeck (13) were the only English strikers to hit double figures in the Premier League last season. Age is not on the side of any of these players, and it is unclear where the new blood is coming from. It was hoped that Eddie Nketiah, the England Under-21 all-time record goalscorer, would be the next prolific striker to come through the youth levels. But the former Arsenal player has scored just five Premier League goals in two seasons at Crystal Palace. Perhaps Liam Delap, still only 23, who scored 12 Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024-25, will finally find his feet at Chelsea - or at a new club. This may be a problem for another manager beyond Euro 2028, as Tuchel may feel that he has got Kane and that will do him.

Kobbie Mainoo earned his place in the England squad after a superb second half of the season under Michael Carrick at Manchester United Tuchel's lack of confidence in Kobbie Mainoo is another key theme out of this tournament. Unlike up front, Tuchel had no option but to make changes to his midfield at times. But rather than bring Mainoo off the bench, he opted to slot either Reece James or Nico O'Reilly in the deep-lying midfield position. So Mainoo returns to Old Trafford as the only outfield player in the original 26-man squad not to play a single minute at the World Cup. If Tuchel did not trust Mainoo to act as a deputy, why was he in the squad at all?

England do have plenty of reasons to be confident this might be a short-term issue. Mainoo is only 21 and has plenty of time to develop, as do England's other options in this area. Palace's Adam Wharton, 22, has four caps and was unlucky to miss out on the squad to Mainoo. Bournemouth's Alex Scott, also 22, was invited to be part of the pre-tournament training camp in Florida but awaits his debut. Tuchel needs to find a player he has confidence in to add rotation options at the base of midfield. Otherwise, he will be using defenders as sticking plasters again in two years.

Further back on the field, goalkeeper should not be a problem for now as Jordan Pickford will be 34 when the Euros comes around, but what comes after that? England urgently need James Trafford, touted as Pickford's long-term successor, to start playing regularly after a year on the bench at Manchester City.

'Passive' and 'crumbled' - did Tuchel's defensive tactics cost England? 60 years of hurt - England's World Cup wait in numbers How coach-on-pitch Messi undid England's tactics on the fly England announced Tuchel's two-year contract extension just hours before the Nations League draw in February. The FA's logic was simple. It felt it had an elite coach and wanted to secure his services for the home Euros. It would also prevent endless speculation over Tuchel's future before and during the World Cup.

Tuchel had qualified England for the World Cup with a perfect record. Eight games, eight wins, no goals conceded. The counter argument was that Tuchel had in fact achieved nothing, that winning a group featuring Andorra, Albania, Latvia and Serbia was a formality. The only time England had faced a country in the top 20 of the FIFA world ranking, they lost to Senegal in a friendly at the City Ground. The FA felt Tuchel had the tactical acumen to avoid the perceived tactical naivety of former boss Gareth Southgate. Yet it happened again, arguably in more destructive fashion against Argentina.

Tuchel told the players at half-time of the 4-2 group stage win over Croatia "even if we lose, let's do it our way". What followed was perhaps England's best 45 minutes of the World Cup, dominating attacking football which Croatia could not live with. The second-half performance against Argentina was the antithesis of this. Why did it happen? "We should have carried on pushing," centre-back Marc Guehi told BBC Sport. "It kind of felt like we scored and the mentality was, go back, defend." Maybe there is an element of the players' trust that Tuchel will need to win back?

The coach has many other questions to answer, specifically over issues at right-back and the decision not to select Trent Alexander-Arnold - even when Tino Livramento was injured on the eve of England's first game. Tuchel retains the backing of the FA but he may have lost some of the supporters. And he is going to have to swallow the criticism. Since 1998, England have lost all seven of their World Cup knockout meetings against top-10 ranked sides.

"Mentality? Mentality? This is pure mentality," said an annoyed Tuchel as he faced questions following England's 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway. It meant much of the talk in the lead up to the semi-final was that this England team was not be shackled by previous defeats. Except this time it was not really glorious failure, it felt more like a surrender. Tuchel will have to accept all the criticism for his tactical approach. After all, it was he who stripped the team of most of its attacking outlets. But he could do nothing about the performance of those players who were on the pitch.

Possession of just 12% after taking the lead shows a debilitating inability to keep hold of the ball. For a period of 18 minutes 37 seconds up until just before Argentina equalised, England completed just three passes - between Jordan Pickford and John Stones. Only five other passes were attempted, all unsuccessfully. Maybe it would have been different had Tuchel opted to use Mainoo, or introduce a player such as Marcus Rashford as an outlet. Not one of the 11 players who were out on the pitch were capable of making an impact as the wave of Argentina attacks increased. And that is something that cannot be solely placed at Tuchel's door.

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