Tuchel takes responsibility for England semi-final loss, but does not regret tactical decisions

Hupu Football News | July 18th – England head coach Thomas Tuchel attended a press conference ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place match against France.

On the Semi-Final Performance and His Decisions

Reporter: Thomas, after the semi-final, there has been much discussion and many opinions about England's formation and performance in the final stages of the match. 48 hours later, after reflection, how do you now view the last 35 minutes of the game?

Tuchel: I see it the same way. We were too passive. If you're asking whether I regret my decisions, then my answer is no, I don't regret them. Because I felt we became too passive, the momentum of the game shifted, and I tried to help my team, to provide support.

I made decisions based on my instincts, experience, and competitive spirit. I made several decisions to help the team and strive for a good result. We didn't get the result we wanted, so of course I take responsibility for those decisions. But these decisions were made under pressure, during the flow of the game. That's in-game management.

If I hadn't tried to help the team, if we hadn't reacted, then I would regret it. But I don't regret the decisions themselves.

On Responsibility for the Team's Passivity

Reporter: You mentioned wanting the wing-backs to be more proactive, but the team was passive. Is this a player issue, your issue, or a result of the game's flow? Who is responsible?

Tuchel: I am responsible. If someone needs to take the blame, let it be me. You have every right to do that, but I won't play that game because, in my view, no one should be blamed. If you need someone to take responsibility, I take full responsibility. I am the head coach.

We made in-game decisions based on trust, competitive spirit, experience, and our real feelings during the match. We can only start from there; any other assumptions are just assumptions. No one knows what would have happened with different substitutions or changes.

It's easy to think about formation structure or attack and defense, but I think the game is much more complex. The issue is how you perform within a formation. We had many problems in a 4-4-2 formation, and later in another formation, we couldn't solve them either. That's just how it is, and we have to accept it.

By the way, this is our pain, my pain, and the players' pain. We suffer more than anyone else. This is a scar we carry now, a very painful defeat.

We must first endure the loss itself, not the criticism, expert opinions, or even our families who suffer with us and only wish us well. Ultimately, it's about us. We will, as always, because we are competitive—every player in the camp is highly competitive.

We will overcome it, we will learn from it, we will respond, and that starts tomorrow. There is still a gap to close between us and the top teams, and we are aware of that. That is our focus.

On Harry Kane's Positioning and Team Response

Reporter: Regarding Harry Kane's positioning that day, he seemed to drop very deep. What do you think was the reason? Also, regarding the feedback that the team was too passive, how did the players respond?

Tuchel: In the last 30 minutes, we were in deep defense. If you are in deep defense, the whole team defends deep. We weren't proactive enough to break out of that deep defense.

But if you are in deep defense, then everyone is in deep defense. In football, that reflects team spirit, unity, and mentality. We defend as a unit of ten or eleven. If we are pushed back into deep defense, Harry will also be in deep defense.

It's the same as what he did in some periods of the first half. The difference is that in the first half, we could push back, find the timing to escape deep defense. But we do everything as a team. The team spirit, unity, and mentality built over the past six and a half weeks are unquestionable, and that was even reflected in our defense.

We became too passive in the last 30 minutes. We couldn't control possession, couldn't find opportunities to compete anymore. That is the next step we need to take.

Source: YouTube

International Football News

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How will you take responsibility? Resign yourself?

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Whose decision was it in the end?

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