Gary Lineker has made a lighthearted joke about Thomas Tuchel's England plan after the Three Lions were crashing out of the World Cup in the semi-finals13:08, 16 Jul 2026Gary Lineker has joked that Thomas Tuchel is a "German spy" whose job is to make sure England suffer because Germany are struggling so much at major tournaments.‌He is the first German to lead the Three Lions and had presided over a perfect qualification campaign and some impressive World Cup wins. His tactics and managerial IQ were seen as a difference maker, but England were undone by Argentina in the semi-finals.‌Tuchel is copping blame for the defeat with his defensive tactics, which had paid dividends against Mexico and Norway, proving the team's undoing. They invited huge amounts of pressure and Argentina eventually made it tell late in the game.‌Lineker has jokingly suggested that Germany have sent Tuchel in to ruin England's hopes of winning but did cast doubt over whether the ex-Chelsea boss should remain in his post.The former England striker said on his Netflix show: “I just wonder whether Thomas Tuchel’s like a German spy, we’ve been infiltrated, I think Germany, because they’re not very good at the moment, they can’t get past the group stage, and I think they’ve sent in someone.“I mean, I’m joking, I’m joking obviously, but he said after the Croatia game, he said, ‘if we lose, we’ll lose our way by playing aggressive, attacking football’, he went totally against that, didn’t he? I think the most frustrating thing as well was this team, they had a chance if they’d gone for it, and they just got it I think so wrong.‌“And is he the right man to take us forward? Well, I mean, I never ask for anyone to get sacked, I don’t think it’s the thing to do, but it depends on him and how he feels, and also how the FA feels.”Germany have continued to underwhelm at major tournaments, enduring a steep decline since their World Cup win in 2014. They made the last four of the Euros in 2016 but since then have gone out at the group stages of two World Cups in 2018 and 2022, and were shocked by Paraguay in the Round of 32.Article continues belowThat cost Julian Nagelsmann his job and the Germans have now turned to Jurgen Klopp, who is tasked with taking the nation back to the summit of international football.Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Content cannot be displayed without consent