Thomas Tuchel has insisted he has “no regrets” regarding his decision to implement defensive substitutions after England took the lead in their World Cup semi-final loss against Argentina.

The Three Lions faced a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Atlanta, with Argentina achieving a remarkable comeback following Anthony Gordon’s opening goal for England.

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Tuchel chose to adopt a defensive strategy around the 70th minute, shifting to a 5-4-1 formation, a tactic that ultimately faltered.

By relinquishing territory, Argentina intensified their attack in the closing moments and secured two late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, overturning the match dramatically.

Wayne Rooney criticized the team for “crumbling” and held Tuchel responsible for his tactical shift, but Tuchel maintained that his players were “too passive” after taking the lead, yet stood firm by his choices.

“You can discuss this with a million coaches [but] I have to make a decision on the pitch,” he told the BBC.

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“I analyzed the match and I did it a certain way so that’s my responsibility.

“In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0.

“We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn’t get over the line but no regrets.”

After taking the lead, England maintained only 12 percent of possession, but Tuchel dismissed the notion of a “structural problem” regarding his substitution strategy.

“I did also offensive substitutions in the last games, we just tried to help the players. We conceded [a chance] straight away and we decided to go to a back five because the gaps were far too open,” he explained.

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“They won every header, they kept crossing and crossing so we went to a back five to close the gaps inside and be strong in the air. Straight after our goal, without any substitutions, we conceded way too many crosses and way too many chances so we tried to help.

“Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help. We stayed in our 4-4-2 but we became passive, more and more passive. We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.

“It’s no problem, I can understand these discussions are out there and there are millions of coaches after the game who know it better.”