Thomas Tuchel sat in front of the microphones Friday, 48 hours of stewing behind his eyes, and said the word nobody expected from a coach whose team just coughed up a World Cup semi-final: nothing.
No regrets. Not one.
“I felt that we’d become too passive,” Tuchel said of England’s 2-1 collapse against Argentina in Atlanta, where Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal dissolved into late strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez. “I felt that the momentum switches in the match and I tried to help my team.”
The numbers are ugly enough to make a defensive coordinator wince. After Gordon’s goal, England managed 12% of possession until Martinez found the winner in the 92nd minute. Tuchel’s substitutions — defensive, reactive, designed to protect a lead that never sat still — drew criticism from pundits, from fans, and from at least one source the England boss found beneath engaging. When a reporter mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump’s critique of his tactics, Tuchel cut in: “Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case, or…?”
He took the blame. He just refused to call it blame.
“If someone takes the blame, I take the blame. There’s no problem if this is the deal that you sign up for,” Tuchel said. “But I will not engage in this kind of game. Because for me there is no one to blame.”
What he did engage with was the pain. Tuchel spoke alongside defender John Stones and called the Argentina defeat a scar — “our pain, my pain and the players’ pain — we feel the most pain of all.” He admitted England, fourth in the FIFA rankings, still trail the three nations that have set the tournament’s ceiling: Argentina, Spain, and France.
“The gap is there because of the titles that Argentina, France and Spain have as national teams, as countries,” Tuchel said. “What they built over many years with the coaches and the team, there’s still a slight gap that we have to close.”
That gap is the backdrop for Saturday’s third-place playoff in Miami, where England face a French side beaten 2-0 by Spain in the other semi-final. Two teams that spent a month chasing a trophy now play for bronze in South Florida with the heat index north of 95 degrees. Neither manager wants the game to exist.
“The best thing for France and England would be for this match not to exist,” France boss Didier Deschamps told reporters.
“None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” Tuchel said.
The injury risk is real. France defender William Saliba arrived at the World Cup carrying a back injury from Arsenal’s Premier League title run and Champions League final appearance. He played 90 minutes in five straight matches, and his back finally gave out in the semi-final against Spain. Early reports indicate he could miss months.
The match still carries stakes — FIFA awards extra prize money and ranking points, and all statistics count — but the human cost is what hangs over it. Players who just finished 10-month club seasons have now logged seven high-intensity matches in a month on NFL-stadium pitches in American summer heat. One more game, and the only thing on the line is pride and the hope that nobody limps off.
Tuchel promised a reaction. “We will overcome it, we will use it, we will have a reaction and it starts from tomorrow,” he said. “We have a gap to close, and we are aware of that, and that’s where the focus is.”
The Football Association handed Tuchel a two-year contract extension before the tournament. He retains their backing and has said he is “100%” committed to leading England into the home Euros in 2028. Asked whether shifting fan sentiment could change his mind about staying on, he was blunt: “No, it can never change my thinking if I would like to carry on.”
That is a different posture from his predecessor. Gareth Southgate walked away after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, repeatedly saying he did not want to outstay his welcome. Tuchel is digging in.
Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, pits defending champions Argentina against European champions Spain. The film doesn’t lie about which two nations closed the gap and which ones are still trying to find the door.
Sources
- England carry ‘scars’ of World Cup exit, says Tuchel — Yahoo Sports
- Tuchel has ‘no regrets’ over England tactics in World Cup semi-final — Yahoo Sports
- ‘No regrets’ – Tuchel hits back at criticism following World Cup exit — Yahoo Sports
- Cruel World Cup third-place game is torture for England and France — Yahoo Sports
- World Cup: France vs. England proves more sports need a third-place game — Yahoo Sports
- England carry ‘scars’ of World Cup heartbreak into third-place playoff — Al Jazeera