Defiant Thomas Tuchel doubles down saying the reaction to England’s heartbreaking World Cup loss to Argentina was like ‘exiting in the group stage’… after sealing third place with chaotic win over France

Thomas Tuchel says the criticism of him after England’s World Cup exit to Argentina felt as if they had gone out in the group stage, as he celebrated his team’s response of a first bronze medal on foreign soil.

The head coach was blamed by supporters, former players and media for his tactical changes during the 2-1 semi-final defeat by the holders.

On the eve of the third-place playoff, Tuchel faced a barrage of questions over his in-game choices against Argentina and fiercely defended his decisions. England then beat France 6-4 in Miami to record their best finish at a World Cup since 1966.

And Tuchel said: ‘The press conference yesterday felt as if we went out in group stage without a win, to be very honest.

‘Twenty-four hours later we had our biggest success in 60 years. I think the low and the drama about what happened against Argentina was too low, but that’s part of it. 

‘The best thing you can do is react on the pitch and get the next win, everything else is just talking. Talking doesn’t get you points. Talking doesn’t get you wins. So you have to endure it. You have to hold it and be strong and keep believing. I’m glad that we showed that reaction. It’s very impressive.’

Tuchel does not believe he has lost the faith of England’s supporters either, as he added: ‘I don’t think that I lost the trust. Whatever happened in the final 30 minutes against Argentina, why it happened, whatever happened in the last 10 minutes, we were close, but it’s my job to take decisions. My decisions, my interventions, my substitutions, the change of structure. 

‘It did not have the effect that I wanted, so I have to live with this. It’s very painful for me because I did it in good faith. I did it with a clear plan and a clear idea behind it. It didn’t work out so I take the blame and the responsibility.

‘But I strongly believe that we built more in this World Cup than we can lose in these 30 minutes, and me personally for a decision that turns out not to be effective. The pain will stay with me. The scar will stay with me and with the players and no one else. 

‘In the end, we need to win the trust on a daily basis in international football. In seven, eight weeks we’re back together, it’s Nations League. We need to win the trust and build the trust. It’s never a given, so this is normal in a high-level sport that you have to prove yourself, you have to prove a point every single time that you compete.’

England were 4-0 up at half-time against France, before a nervy second half saw them come close to throwing away their lead. Tuchel, though, believes the experience and the prize will aid his team going forward.

‘This game will help us, for sure,’ he said. ‘Even if a part of you will never allow you to fully celebrate your bronze medal, I think this is a very important one. I hope the players can be proud in time.

‘I said yesterday we want to close this gap (to the top three nations) and that started today. This team has built something very special in the last seven weeks and we will never negotiate on that.

‘I still stand by my words that we need to play better football under pressure. We need to manage games better under pressure. We need to take better decisions under pressure. We need to defend more economically, more disciplined.

‘You remember first half against Croatia, when we scored for 2-1, and we went into a deep, deep block. It was almost a back six, a back seven, and we conceded in the last shot of the half. 

‘So these are exact moments where we need to be better and understand how to be better. That’s our job for the next steps.’