Manager Thomas Tuchel questioned England’s DNA as a footballing nation after Wednesday’s semi-final defeat.
After the defeat, he said: “My feeling at that moment was that no structure in the world could help us.
“The fact is we were too passive and not physical enough that we couldn’t stop the runners coming into our box and our deliveries were wrong.
“I haven’t seen the data yet, but I think right after the goal the momentum completely shifted and possession dropped dramatically. We didn’t see any more dueling. That’s why we kept going down and down. It was never the plan, but that’s what happened.”
“(We) couldn’t stop the runners from the second row or the midfielders and the delivery was top notch. We have to get back to the ball, otherwise we can’t break the pressure and get the momentum back.”
“I think possession plays an important role. Winning the ball and controlling the game with the ball is probably not in our DNA the way it’s in the Spaniard’s DNA or the Argentinian-Brazilian DNA.”
