PEP GUARDIOLA is the favourite to become the next England manager.
The Three Lions suffered World Cup heartache in devastating circumstances in Atlanta.
The odds on Thomas Tuchel’s successor have been revealed Credit: Getty
Pep Guardiola is the frontrunner with the bookies after leaving Manchester City Credit: PA
Anthony Gordon gave them the lead against Argentina but England sat back and invited pressure.
And they eventually buckled as Enzo Fernandez equalised with a strike from range in the 85th minute before Lionel Messi stood a cross up for Lautaro Martinez to head in the dramatic injury-time winner.
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Now Betfair have revealed the odds for a new boss to take over from Thomas Tuchel.
And it is the former Manchester City boss at the top of the pile.
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Guardiola, 55, is available for work after walking away from the Etihad.
And the Spaniard is 5-2 to accept the England gig.
Next up is Newcastle manager Eddie Howe (10-3) and USA chief Mauricio Pochettino (7-1).
Lee Carsley had a brief stint as interim boss after Gareth Southgate resigned in 2024 and is 15-2 for the job.
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That places him ahead of Englishmen Graham Potter (11-1) and Frank Lampard (12-1), who are currently managing Sweden and Coventry respectively.
However, Tuchel is not expected to leave following the World Cup heartache.
The German, 52, put pen to paper on a contract extension five months ago, extending his Wembley reign until the end of Euro 2028, when England will be co-hosts.
Tuchel came under widespread heavy criticism for his substitutions as he brought on a raft of defenders to try and see the game out against Argentina.
Fans and pundits alike were furious with the way he changed the shape in an attempt to hold on to the 1-0 lead in the fiery clash.
BBC pundit Wayne Rooney fumed: “We got ourselves in such a good position and we didn’t know what to do.
“We sat back, allowed them to come on to us. They put us under pressure and we cracked. As soon as they got the first goal, it was inevitable they’d get the second.
“When you go on top, you have to stay on top. We go 1-0 up, then sit back, make changes, go five or six at the back. If you allow (Lionel) Messi and Argentina to come on to you, you’re asking for trouble.
England were left heartbroken by more World Cup pain Credit: PA
Next England manager odds
Pep Guardiola 5-2
Eddie Howe 10-3
Mauricio Pochettino 7-1
Lee Carsley 15-2
Graham Potter 11-1
Frank Lampard 12-1
Betfair
“These fans have spent a lot of money to be out here. I expected more in this game.
“Argentina are the world champions. We knew it was going to be the difference.
“The changes we made didn’t help us. Devastated. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to win these tournaments.”
And Alan Shearer moaned: “He played his cards very, very early, Thomas, in the hope that England could hang on, and it’s backfired. But those decisions are the ones that make such a difference.
“We were praising him for what he did, going to five at the back, in the previous two games when England were under huge pressure.
“Now I guess we’ve gone the other way and are thinking: ‘Could he have just changed something different and put a bit more pace on?’ Because everything was coming back at England.
“They didn’t have an outlet, because whenever they won the ball they had no energy. They were physically and mentally done once Argentina got that first goal.”
Shearer added on X: “Best team won. The changes left us without an out ball. We had 6 defenders on with 25 mins left. Frustrating.”
But Tuchel defended his decisions.
He responded: “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.
“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, the responsibility is on the coach and if it doesn’t go well, it is easy to say it was wrong.
“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.”
