Thomas Tuchel addresses England’s doubts ahead and refuses to blame World Cup tactics
Thomas Tuchel says he is fully prepared to continue as England manager as he blames the country’s ‘football DNA’ for their exit from the World Cup.
His team suffered a heavy defeat against Argentina in their semi-final on Wednesday night.
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Taking the lead in the second half through Anthony Gordon, England conceded twice after losing 2-1.
Although Tuchel’s tactics became more intense after the game, talkSPORT understands that the FA have no plans to part ways with their boss.
His current deal runs until the end of Euro 2028 in a period of two years.
The future of Tuchel
Now Tuchel has spoken about his future, revealing that he believes the Three Lions can still win the title as he is in charge.
When asked if he plans to continue, he explained: “100 percent, and there is still enough to improve, there is still enough to improve and I am very happy to do that.
“I still think we can commit ourselves more to football, I still think we can still show how good football players we are.
“I think it’s up to us because I see it in training in all the camps and here at the World Cup and I feel like there is another level that we have to overcome and we have to go up to the next level and get the big prize.”
Tuchel signed a new two-year contract in February.
His deal will run until the end of Euro 2028, when England will co-host it with Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Before the extension, his contract was due to expire at the end of the World Cup this summer.
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The ‘DNA’ problem
Tuchel also defended his transition against Argentina, bringing on three defenders in an effort to protect England’s 1-0 lead.
Instead, he said a weakness in English football’s ‘DNA’ is the reason for their late downfall.
Specifically, Tuchel pointed to the players’ inability to hold the ball under pressure.
He added: “At this moment my feeling is that there is no structure in the world that could help us.
“Because we weren’t doing anything and we weren’t physical enough, we didn’t stop the runners coming into our box and the delivery wasn’t right.
“I haven’t seen the details yet, but I think that right after the goal, the pressure changes and the possession of the ball drops a lot.
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“We couldn’t get duels; that’s why we went so deep. It wasn’t the plan, but it happened.
“(We) couldn’t stop the athletes from the second line, the midfielders, with our gaps, and the delivery was at a high level.
“You have to get back to the ball; otherwise you won’t be able to break the pressure, and you won’t be able to regain momentum.
“I think that handling the ball plays an important role; maybe it’s not in our DNA as it is in our DNA in Spain or in our DNA in Argentina and Brazil, to take the ball and control the game with the ball.”
Tuchel’s comments come ahead of England’s final game of the tournament.
The Three Lions will face France in Miami on Saturday night in the third place qualifier.
Kick-off at the Hard Rock Stadium is set for 10pm BST, live on talkSPORT.
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