England’s 6-4 victory over France secured their first World Cup medal since 1966, but Thomas Tuchel felt the earlier reaction went too far.
Thomas Tuchel believes the reaction to England’s World Cup semi-final defeat became excessively negative before his side responded with a 6-4 win over France.
Just three days after letting a late lead slip against Argentina, England regrouped to claim bronze in a dramatic third-place play-off.
The fallout from that defeat was swift, with Tuchel’s tactics and substitutions coming under fire as England faded in the closing stages.
When asked if the backlash was justified, Tuchel pointed to the stark contrast between the mood after the semi-final and the sense of achievement following the win over France.
“The press conference yesterday felt as if we went out in group stage without a win to be very honest and 24 hours later we have the biggest success in 60 years,” Tuchel said.
The third-place finish marks England’s best World Cup result since their 1966 triumph, and their highest ever at a tournament held away from home.
Tuchel made no attempt to dodge responsibility for the Argentina loss. His changes couldn’t stop the defending champions from turning the game around, and he admitted his decisions hadn’t delivered the result he wanted.
“My decisions, my interventions, my substitutions, the change of the change of structure did not have the effect that I wanted to so I have to live with this,” he said.
“This is very painful for me because I did it in good faith and I did it with a clear plan and a clear idea behind it. It didn’t work out.”
Still, Tuchel was quick to push back on the idea that a tough half-hour should overshadow the strides England made throughout the tournament.
“I strongly think and I strongly believe that we build more in this World Cup than we can lose in 30 minutes,” he said.
England let their football do the talking against France, surging into a four-goal lead and then holding off a spirited second-half comeback.
Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick was the highlight, and England’s six goals brought their tournament tally to 20, matching France as the top scorers heading into the final.
For Tuchel, victory was the only real answer his players could give after the sting of missing out on the final.
“The best thing you can do is react on the pitch and get the next win,” he said.
“Everything else is just talking and talking doesn’t get you points and talking doesn’t get you wins.”
The England manager also praised his squad for delivering such a performance, especially with less time to recover and the semi-final’s physical and emotional toll still fresh.
Tuchel admitted there’s still work to do, particularly when it comes to game management, decision-making and handling pressure in big moments.
A bronze medal might not have been the prize England set out for, but it meant they finished on a high.
Tuchel accepted his share of the blame for missing out on the final, but he was just as clear that the reaction shouldn’t wipe away all that England had accomplished along the way.
