Gary Neville has declined to join the chorus of criticism aimed at Thomas Tuchel following England's World Cup exit, saying he never believed the Three Lions were capable of winning the tournament in the first place.

England were knocked out at the semi-final stage after losing 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. Tuchel drew sharp criticism for his tactical decisions and substitutions, particularly after Anthony Gordon had given England the lead early in the second half — only to be withdrawn in the 72nd minute for Ezri Konsa. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez subsequently scored to put the World Cup holders through to Sunday's final against Spain.

Familiar patterns, familiar pain

Neville, speaking to Sky Sports News, acknowledged the hurt but refused to single out Tuchel, instead pointing to patterns he believes have defined England teams across decades — including those he featured in as a player.

"A sobering night for England, but it's been a good tournament. Fans will be extremely disappointed but I never had us winning the tournament from the beginning," Neville said.

"The reality of it is some of the same patterns emerged that have happened with England in tournaments gone by over the last 20 to 30 years. Tuchel tried to win the game in the same way he did with 10 men against Mexico — resolute, compact, tight. But there was an avalanche of pressure and we got done by quality. The second goal from Messi is magnificent."

He drew on his own experience across eight major tournaments as a player and coach, noting that many of England's exits — including five on penalties — shared a common thread: the team retreating deep rather than pressing forward.

"All of us who have played for England are guilty of it, so the idea of me lumping in on Tuchel just isn't going to happen. I was just as big a part of the problem as the lads who played last night."

Neville also highlighted England's inability to retain possession under pressure as a core weakness, contrasting it with the technical quality of elite nations. "We haven't got enough technical ability to play through the middle third. Then you add a little bit of stardust like Messi, and you get over the line. We haven't been able to do that," he said.

Questions over Tuchel's future

While Neville stopped short of calling for Tuchel's dismissal, he did identify specific decisions the German coach may come to regret — most notably the failure to introduce Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, or Marcus Rashford when England needed energy and creativity to hold their lead.

"He will get criticism because he was the big ticket manager brought in to be the difference maker in the tight moments," Neville said. "He hasn't got over the line, so pressure is legitimate."

Neville also questioned the composition of Tuchel's squad, noting that technical players such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Morgan Gibbs-White were left out, limiting England's ability to control the game when it mattered most. "The squad Tuchel picked was a counter-attacking squad," he said. "The first time they came up against a team who had elite experience of keeping the ball, they fell at that first fence."

Neville responds to Romero

Tuchel's tactical choices were not the only talking point. Argentina and Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero took aim at Neville after the match, calling the Sky Sports pundit "stupid" for his pre-match assessment that Romero and Lisandro Martinez formed the "best-worst centre-half pairing in the world."

Romero told DSports: "The only thing that I hope for is that when I retire, I am not that stupid. Hopefully I won't criticise a player or anyone."

Neville was unrepentant in response, pointing to Argentina's defensive record — six goals conceded across four knockout matches — as evidence his original assessment was fair.

"Those two should hug Messi every single day because he's had to pull them out of the mire when they conceded two against Egypt, two against Cape Verde and one against England," Neville said.

He acknowledged Romero's talent while maintaining that the Spurs centre-back remains error-prone. "Argentina didn't win last night because of their centre-backs. They won because of arguably the greatest player of all time," he added.