Thomas Tuchel insists he is committed to taking England to Euro 2028 following their semi-final exit in the world cup.
England saw their dreams of a first World Cup triumph since 1966 in Atlanta dashed when they let a 1-0 lead slip in a 2-1 defeat to fierce rivals Argentina.
Tuchel received significant criticism for an overly defensive approach after England took the lead through Anthony Gordon 10 minutes into the second half.
There have already been calls in some corners for Tuchel, who signed a contract extension until Euro 2028 before the World Cup, to lose his job. However, he and the players received backing from Football Association chief executive Mark Bellingham following the defeat.
And an early exit from that contract is clearly not on Tuchel’s mind.
When asked if he wanted to lead the team for the next two years, the German replied: “Yes. One hundred percent. There is still a lot to improve and I am more than happy to be able to do it. I have loved every day of the World Cup.”
“I said after the victory in the quarterfinals against Norway that I see a disconnection with what I see in training at a football level and in games. We can impose ourselves more with the ball. We can show how good players we are.
“That is still in us, as I see it in training and in every camp. And here also in the World Cup. I still feel that there is an extra level that we must conquer. We need to take a step to the next level to get the big prize.”
Tuchel points out difference in DNA after England collapse
England’s efforts to protect their lead against Argentina failed spectacularly, with Tuchel blamed for a series of defensive substitutions.
Tuchel came on for goalscorer Gordon in the 72nd minute and replaced him with right back Ezri Konsa. Ten minutes later, Reece James was replaced by centre-back Dan Burn, while Declan Rice made way for Nico O’Reilly, who has played as a left-back throughout the tournament but can also operate in midfield and even as a number 10.
At that time, England had six defenders on the field. However, three minutes after that double change, Argentina equalized thanks to a long-range shot from Enzo Fernández and, with England locked in their own half and without the creative players to turn the situation around, they fell apart when Lautaro Martínez headed a 92nd-minute winner from Lionel Messi’s right-footed cross.
Between Gordon’s first goal and Martinez’s winning goal, England had just 12 percent of the possession. Although most of the criticism has been directed at Tuchel, the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich manager pointed to a difference in the DNA of English football as the reason for the capitulation.
“We became too passive within our structure,” Tuchel explained. “I tried to help… so that we were more active in the back five, to be quicker towards their wingers. We encouraged everyone to come out, to be more active, but we just had problems.
“We couldn’t find duels anymore, that’s why we fell more and more. It was never the plan, but it happened. We couldn’t stop the runners on the second line, the midfielders who slipped through our gaps. And their deliveries were of the highest level.
“We needed to get the ball back, otherwise you can’t break the pressure and you can’t regain the momentum. We just couldn’t cope with the change in momentum. Possession of the ball plays a crucial role. Maybe it’s not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentine or Brazilian DNA: to take the ball and control the game.
“It’s not a problem to defend deep either. You can stay active. But we had problems. We also had problems physically. Throughout the tournament… playing in the heat, playing at altitude.” [against Mexico] and with a fallen man [after Jarell Quansah’s red card]. In the end it cost us a lot. We gave everything but it wasn’t enough.
“My feeling is that no structure in the world could have helped us because we were too passive. We weren’t physical enough, we didn’t stop the runs coming into our box and the deliveries were too good.”
