Thomas Tuchel sack: Pundits round on England boss after too little, too late France epic | OneFootball

Danny Murphy, Stephen Warnock and Martin Keown all debated the merits of sacking Thomas Tuchel after England secured third place at the 2026 World Cup with their thrilling 6-4 win over France in Miami.

Bukayo Saka became just the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match, after Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final. The Arsenal man was the only other player to score three times against France in the competition since Pele in 1958.

The result meant the Thre Lions achieved their highest men’s World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966, while it was also their best-ever result on foreign soil.

However, it was tinged with a sense of what might have been after the late collapse against Argentina in the semi-final, with England showcasing the pace and power that went completely missing during their last-four heatbreak.

Tuchel‘s future as England boss in now up in the air, altough it’s expected that the German will keep his job despite his mis-steps that led to that Argentina defeat when his tactical acumen wa needed most.

And Murphy thinks the former Chelsea boss should be shown the door, telling BBC Sport: “Will [Tuchel] keep his job but I don’t think he should. He has failed. They are missing out on a World Cup final because of the tactics, they will be devastated.

“[There are] so many incredibly wonderfully gifted footballers in our squad and that was why it was so disappointing in that second half against Argentina, because most of them weren’t on the pitch.

“The frustrating thing is this level of forward thinking and creativity [in the win over France] just wasn’t there against Argentina.”

Meanwhile, former England left-back Warnock added: “We all thought Thomas Tuchel was going to be the guy who took the handbrake off.

“Just disappointed that we retreated so quickly in that game [against Argentina].

“I think where was the pace against Argentina? The performance [against France] from Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford and their ability to stretch the pitch… pace kills anyone.

“It’s a defender’s worst nightmare and it is so hard to defend against.”

Keown, who 43 caps for England, was slightly more positive, adding; “Pace and power, it’s remarkable to see. But it feels like after the lord mayor’s show.

“Argentina will be watching thinking ‘thank goodness Saka didn’t come on at all and Rashford didn’t come on until late’. Because their pace is frightening.

“Will he stick with any of these in September? I know it’s different circumstances but they have sent out a real message.”

Rice hits back at England critics

Skipper for the night Rice, meanwhile, insists England can be proud of their acheivements in North America, hitting back at the critics of Tuchel and the players after the thrilling win over France.

The Arsenal midfielder said: “This is the best England group for a very long time. That’s a fact. No-one can take that away from us.”

“I think we can be proud as a group – we are just gutted we lost in that semi-final.

“We’re tired of saying we’re proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals – we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement.

“We’re so close, honestly. There’s been so much talk about this group over the last few years going out of tournaments. There’s been semi-final exits, quarter-finals, finals.

“I think we need to keep going. I do think it’s close. It’s a game of small margins. It’s football and the other night we lost on margins and in the boxes.”