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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has criticised England manager Thomas Tuchel’s tactical decisions during the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.
Trump stated that the German coach made a costly mistake by deploying captain Harry Kane in a defensive role after England had taken the lead.
Naija News reports that the US President made the remarks on Friday while reflecting on England’s elimination from the tournament, arguing that Tuchel’s conservative approach handed momentum to the defending champions, who fought back to secure a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.
England had hoped for a place in the World Cup final after Anthony Gordon fired the Three Lions into an early lead.
However, Argentina rallied in the closing stages, inspired by captain Lionel Messi, to score twice and book a showdown with Spain.
Reacting to the match, Trump suggested England became too defensive after going ahead.
“You have a great player in England who I’ve played golf with. And he is Harry [Kane] who has been fantastic.
“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him on defence.
“We got to be a little offensive, right. But no, I’m not going to call it, what do I know about coaching? But that was a little unusual,” Trump said.
Naija News reports that Tuchel came under fire after switching to a back five and introducing more defensively minded players in a bid to protect his team’s advantage.
The tactical changes coincided with Argentina’s resurgence as Messi made a daring comeback that sent the reigning champions into another World Cup final.
Reports also indicated that some England players were unhappy with the conservative instructions issued after the opening goal.
Despite the criticism, Tuchel has defended his approach, insisting his decisions were made in the best interests of the team.
Trump Remarks On Balogun Red-Card Controversy
The US President also addressed one of the tournament’s biggest talking points, FIFA’s decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban imposed on United States striker Folarin Balogun following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Naija News reports that Balogun had initially been suspended for the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium before FIFA later suspended the sanction for 12 months, allowing the striker to feature in the knockout fixture.
The decision sparked widespread debate among football fans and pundits.
Speaking during a reception at Trump Tower, Trump joked about the controversy.
“This has been a tournament like no other. Filled with fierce competition, unforgettable moments. Probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman… is it a red card?
“And I was forced to call Gianni [Infantino]. I said, ‘Gianni, I’d like to make a recommendation. Let the guy in the game!’ No, I didn’t say that. I said I’d like to wage a complaint.
“And actually I had no idea what was going to happen, but you know it is so much better the way it worked out because there is no controversy. [Belgium] won the game and our team had all of its players.
“You made another great decision if you think about it, but you’ll never get credit for it,” The US President noted.
Trump also praised FIFA President Gianni Infantino for what he described as a highly successful World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
According to the US President, the competition has exceeded expectations.
He described it as “the most successful sporting event, maybe in the history of the world.”
Infantino echoed the sentiment, saying the tournament had united people across the globe. He said, “The American dream, Mr President, came to reality. We united the world in America.
“This is not just the greatest World Cup of all times, it is the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed and we are all part of it and for this I thank you very much, Mr President.”
England’s defeat on Wednesday ended the Three Lions’ hopes of winning their first World Cup title since 1966.
Argentina’s comeback victory has set up a blockbuster final against European champions Spain, while England will now turn their attention to the third-place play-off.
Before England’s elimination, the White House had publicly backed the Three Lions to lift the trophy following the United States’ exit from the tournament.
Was Kane deployed to defend against Argentina? No. The pressure of the moment towards the end of the game made all English players, including Kane, to their own half to defend the one goal lead which they couldn’t at the end