Manager Thomas Tuchel has faced intense criticism since England’s loss to Argentina (Image: Getty)
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane have made it clear they want Thomas Tuchel to remain in charge of the England national team. Tuchel has come under heavy criticism for the way his team lost to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. With five minutes remaining, the Three Lions took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Anthony Gordon. However, Atlanta conceded twice in the final stages to Enzo Fernandes and Lautaro Martinez, denying them a place in the finals for the first time since 1966.
Tuchel’s side eventually succumbed to Argentina’s endless wave of pressure as the reigning champions continued to push for an equalizer. England completed just two passes against the South American in a span of 18 minutes and 37 seconds, from 66:05 to 84:42. However, Tuchel has been under intense pressure since then, with boos erupting at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium before the third-place match against France, but the England team has supported him. They showed that with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France, where England led 4-0 at half-time and survived a second-half French rally to go home with a bronze medal.
Saka completed his hat-trick with an 87th-minute penalty, completing the treble. And when asked about the criticism his manager has received since the 2-1 defeat to Argentina, the Arsenal winger told the BBC: “I think it’s part of the game. There’s always noise when you lose. There’s always noise when you win. It’s how you react to it and use it as fuel. Today we finished well. That’s all we can really do and we did that.”
Rice told ITV: “[The win against France]was huge, not just for him[Tuchel]but also for our men’s group. We didn’t want to end the last seven weeks on a low note. We’ve made a lot of people proud in this tournament and we’re very united. We wanted to go on a high and I think we did that tonight. Tonight was a really proud moment.”
“For sure (this could be a platform for Euro 2028). 100 percent. I don’t know why there’s a question mark there. I understand there’s a question mark after the other night. Everyone has an opinion these days, but no one really knows what it’s like to be in your position. In the moment of the game, it gets tough. Looking back, yeah, we could have done more.”
“For the next two weeks, we’re going to sit down and talk and process everything. It’s still a mess at the moment. We’ve been in this bubble for seven weeks, training every day, having meetings, playing, so it’s hard to think about everything. On to the next game and then the next game.”
“It’s been a great seven weeks. It’s been an unbelievable time. This is part of the journey. We’re going again. We’re going to keep dreaming. This group has enough to win. I hope and believe that we can win in the coming years. That’s the feeling of the coach and the whole group, so we’re going to keep giving our all.”
Meanwhile, captain Kane similarly told ITV: “I think[this win]just helped us finish in a slightly better place. Everyone will still be hurt coming down from the win and the medal. They’ll still be looking at why it happened and how they could have done better. It’ll be the same for him (Tuchel) as well.”
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Declan Rice speaks after victory over France (Image: ITV)
Bukayo Saka talks after the win against France (Image: ITV)
“But that’s part of being an England manager, when you dare to dream as big as we dream and you don’t reach it. We all fall short of that. We have to take it on the chin. We as players have to do it and the manager has to do it too. If anything, it only makes us stronger.”
“This was his first major (international) tournament. I’m sure he learned a lot from this experience, from us and from the whole season. The best coaches and the best players find a way to grow from these experiences.”
Coach Tuchel pushed back against suggestions that this World Cup could end up being a “what if” kind of thing. Something like a tournament in England. The win against France meant the Three Lions finished third, their best ever World Cup overseas and their best season since lifting the trophy in 1966. “Could this tournament be any better? We have had the best tournament in 60 years,” Tuchel said.
“The best tournament in a foreign country. Third place is always good. We were never shy about dreaming big. We worked hard for it. Sometimes great achievements come with great pain. That was the case 72 hours ago. We lost to the reigning champions. We were up 85 minutes (1-0).”
“It’s still hard and painful, but it’s not a question of what if.” That’s exactly right. Today was a reaction moment and they responded again. ”
England will be back in action in September when they face World Cup finalists and reigning European champions Spain at Wembley. This match was the first match of the Nations League group stage, and both countries were joined in Group C by Croatia and the Czech Republic.
