THOMAS TUCHEL says he and his England side will always carry the “scars” of their World Cup near-miss.
Speaking at length for the first time since the third-place finish in North America, the Three Lions chief conceded the 2-1 defeat against Argentina in Atlanta will always be a huge regret.
England boss Thomas Tuchel admits he and his players will always carry ‘scars’ from their World Cup elimination Credit: Alamy
England were eliminated from Argentina in the semi-finals Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Tuchel was widely criticised for his tactical negativity after Anthony Gordon put England ahead, as his side dropped back into a nine-man defensive line.
Now the German, who said he had only watched “clips” of the match since the summer, revealed his feelings of frustration and disappointment but insisted he would not be “tortured” by the exit.
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Tuchel said: “You can try to kill me here. But it’s my scar. It’s not your scar. I have to live with it. It’s not you who has to live with it.
“I’m in charge here and I take these decisions and it’s the players’ scar and it’s my scar and I have to live with it and keep on going.”
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Tuchel, speaking with former England striker Daniel Sturridge in the FA-produced “Reflections”, said: “If we would have been more stable in the game, let’s say with more percentage of possession, I would have not changed the structure.
“Why would I? And I would have gone for offensive changes? But that is a very very difficult road to go down. That can torture you.
“No one is more hurt. You can now endlessly torture yourself and think, ‘What if I would have done a different substitution, then we would have won the match’. But you just don’t know it.”
Tuchel praised his players, in particular Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and – for his role in changing the mentality of the devastated squad ahead of their 6-4 third-place win over France – Jordan Henderson.
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He added: “It was important to be together and stay together as a whole staff and a whole group of people. We started this journey together and ended it together.
“It’s wrapped the tournament up. Not in the way that we wanted it – I’m the first one to admit that we didn’t achieve it.
“We wanted to have a second star, but still it was a top end. Now we start at the bottom of the mountain again and we know what it takes to climb it.”
Tuchel also admitted he could see England’s World Cup dream falling apart at half-time in their semi-final with Argentina.
Tuchel’s reputation took a huge hit after the Three Lions surrendered their lead, with Lionel Messi proving the inspiration for his side.
Tuchel explained: “I was happy at half-time and saw us growing into the match.
“But from the start of the second half I felt Argentina were more liberated, more free in their movements, finding better solutions.
“Then we scored and had the next chance straight away, through Declan Rice.
“But that famous tackle by Djed Spence [on Giuliano Simeone], on a counter-attack, did something to me and it did maybe something to the players.
“We suddenly shifted into a mindset of ‘let’s just overcome it’. That’s how we played. We played like there were four minutes left. But it was actually 30-40 minutes left.
Tuchel’s honest assessment
“Instead of playing around in the deep build-up playing around Messi, switching the play and making them suffer and giving us time to recover physically and mentally, we were lacking all these things.
“And Argentina, who had nothing to lose, played “f*** it” football. Four strikers, then basically 3-1-6, and we struggled.”
Tuchel, though, did concede he had also become too cautious – regretting the approach he took from the second half “cooling break”.
He added: “We’d conceded a big chance right before the water break and I thought, ‘Okay, we will not survive; this is waiting for death’.
“So we didn’t have ball possession, weren’t defending properly in our 4-4-2 and needed to help.
“We’d ended against Mexico and Norway in a back five and because I could see they would rely heavily on crosses I thought we’d do it, first 5-3-2 and then 5-4-1 to just ‘overcome it’.
“But it was too early for that mindset, especially as we were tired after Congo, Mexico at altitude, extra-time in Miami three days earlier. We didn’t do an awful lot wrong but I get it.
“I saw the level of craziness that Argentina put in, change after change after change, one offensive change after the other.
“That was just my solution to the problem. It’s not ego, you just try to help.”
Tuchel talked about how “proud” he was of his players throughout the entire campaign, believing he has fostered a new dynamic that will bring success.
Tuchel ‘very optimistic’
He also joked about his “terrible accent”, how much leading England means to him, his debt to the fans who have adopted him, how hearing “Wonderwall” on his holiday in Italy left him in tears and his determination to go one step better in Euro 2028.
Tuchel said: “It’s a beautiful thing that English people and English sportsmen are not arrogant. I love it and I enjoy it
“It’s the strength of the nation and it’s the strength of these players and of this group. They were everything but arrogant. That’s why so many people wanted us to win.
“The players didn’t want to play the game against France, nor did I, but it was actually medicine for us and the fans, something beautiful we brought home.
“I’m very optimistic. The way the players behave with each other, with respect and joy, is non-negotiable.
“Now we want to keep improving, dig into how can we unleash the last five power cent of freedom, courage and decision-making in high-pressure moments.
“These players will come back hungry. We just beat France. Now we have the chance to beat Spain straight away at home. A perfect rehearsal for us for the Euros.”
