What we learned as Thomas Tuchel faced the media after England World Cup exit | OneFootball

England head coach faced the media to preview Saturday night’s World Cup bronze final against France

When he finally arrived for his press conference two hours late because of the England squad’s weather-delayed flight into Fort Lauderdale, Thomas Tuchel did not initially appear angsty or frustrated.

But once the questions and answers about England’s grim World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina began, the under-pressure England head coach was unwavering, unapologetic, and unwilling to engage, as he put it, in “the blame game”.

Sat alongside John Stones to preview this evening’s third-place play-off against France — the game no one wants to play — Tuchel batted questions away, refusing to accept blame.

His insistence that he takes “responsibility” was a case of hollow words being trotted out. Clearly, he does not feel this way. He stuck by his decisions, which set the tone for what was to come by insisting within his answer to the very first question: “If you are asking if I regret my decisions, I say no, I don’t.”

That first question also included reference of the US president, whose surreal press conference earlier on Friday had included criticism of Tuchel, Donald Trump questioning why Tuchel had used his golf buddy Harry Kane as a “defensive player”.

The England head coach was irked by this being brought up. “Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case, or? I was just asking.”

If you are asking if I regret my decisions, I say no, I don’t

Thomas Tuchel

The FA have already stood by Tuchel. They have pledged their allegiance to the head coach whose contract they extended ahead of the tournament so whose destiny through to Euro 2028 they could hardly meddle with now, even after the great retreat in Atlanta that self-sabotaged England’s World Cup bid and sent Argentina instead.

Tuchel wore a half smile as he arrived for the press conference at Miami Stadium, though it did not last long. He was soon fiddling with the mic, squirming in his seat, showing not only in barked self-defence protestations but in body language, too, that he wished to be anywhere other than sat at the top table explaining why he still vehemently believes his tactical decisions and second-half substitutes were not mistakes.

“I take responsibility,” he said performatively. “If it is easier for someone to take responsibility, I do. But I will not engage in this kind of game. If you need to take someone to blame, I take the blame.”

Tuchel did not appear to appreciate why there might be indignation about the manner of England’s exit, about how a worst-ever protection of a one-goal lead in a crucial knockout game had occurred — and failed — under the watch of the head coach hired to get these very moments right, to avoid the mistakes of managers past, to finally drag England over the line.

His insistence that apportioning blame was unnecessary was called into question by Standard Sport. He had claimed there was no need to play the blame game, yet was it not understandable that the media and that England fans want to know which decisions —whether from the head coach or from the players — caused the lead to be lost late on in a World Cup semi-final?

Here was a fair challenge levelled at the German, whose refusal to truly accept blame or swallow his pride has filled England’s post-exit landscape with a spikier atmosphere than there needed to be. Tuchel would not answer. He told Standard Sport that he had “never [been] shy to explain” so did not “understand the question”.

In both cases, you were left wanting more, feeling Tuchel had absolved himself of blame by summoning more excuses than explanations.

“Out of the four teams, the other three were expecting to be world champions,” he insisted. “We were hoping, dreaming, believing. We are not there yet. There is still a gap to close.”

Thomas Tuchel must refocus the England players for a showdown with France

PA

England, he said, were not favourites to the same degree as today’s opponents France or the two finalists Argentina and Spain beforehand.

Throughout the last few days, Tuchel has demonstrated that he genuinely cannot understand the severity and granular detail of some of the criticism he and his players, but particularly he, has faced.

What he will come to appreciate if he speaks with England fans after this tournament and when he meets with the FA to debrief is that it was the deja vu element of England’s exit, coupled with his lofty reputation and sizeable pay packet, that has created a scepticism towards Tuchel not present beforehand.

“It’s not so long ago that we were in front of thousands of fans singing Wonderwall,” he said. And while that may be true, such feelgood moments in the group stage and early knockout rounds were never how success was going to be judged.

Tuchel was England’s win-now head coach and knew this coming in. After a semi-final exit, even if the run to the last four was spirited, there was bound to be a sense of a huge missed opportunity.

Today’s shot at a bronze-medal finish won’t change any of that, and Tuchel’s hardnosed doubling down of his own decisions won’t either.