What Gareth Southgate would’ve done differently during England vs Argentina

Gareth Southgate might have adopted completely different tactics to those that Thomas Tuchel used during England’s loss to Argentina.

In a moment that rendered ‘Three Lions’ fans heartbroken, the European side threw away a lead to lose 2-1 and crash out of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Gareth Southgate wouldn’t have gone as defensive as Thomas Tuchel, says Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

During his time as England head coach, Gareth Southgate made the country believe again, with the gaffer taking his team on deep runs in four back-to-back competitions.

However, after falling short in the final of Euro 2024 against Spain, the former player walked away from his role. In his place, Thomas Tuchel stepped up to the plate, with the German guiding England to yet another semi-final.

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Alas, after going 1-0 up, he opted to go ultra-defensive, in a move that ultimately resulted in his side’s demise. And according to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Southgate never would’ve made that decision.

During an episode of The Good, The Bad and The Football, he explained: “Talking after the game is easy, but I don’t think Gareth would’ve gone to a back five. I don’t think he would’ve gone that moment to a five, with 20-25 minutes before the end of the game. I don’t think that Steve Holland would’ve liked him to have done that. The reason why, when they played Italy, they played a five, and they had difficulties getting out. I think he would’ve kept it at a four. I think he would’ve changed wide players and still had energy up front, so he could still press there and still be able to get behind their defence.”

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