Thomas Tuchel, the head coach of the England national team, confirmed that his team has a chance to achieve the country's best World Cup performance in six decades, when they face France on Saturday in the third-place match in Miami.

While the England team is still suffering from the effects of the dramatic 2-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina, Tuchel stressed that there is still plenty to play for, as victory would secure England's best position in a World Cup since lifting the trophy in 1966.

Tuchel told reporters on Friday: 'If we win tomorrow's match, we will achieve our best result in a World Cup in 60 years. That is the big picture.'

England won the World Cup in 1966, but lost the two previous third-place matches they played after semifinal defeats in 1990 and 2018.

Questions about England's collapse against Argentina dominated the pre-match press conference, following sharp criticism of Tuchel's second-half substitutions. However, the German coach stood by his decisions.

He said: 'If you are asking whether I regret my decisions, my answer is no. I do not regret my decisions because I felt we became too passive. I made several decisions based on my instinct, my intuition, my experience, and my competitive nature, and I made the decision to help the team and achieve the result. I would have regretted it if I had not tried to help. I would have regretted it if we had not reacted, but I have no regret about the decision itself.'

Tuchel acknowledged that England's tough path through the tournament may have affected the team, citing the round-of-16 win over Mexico at altitude, the extra-time quarterfinal victory over Norway in Miami's oppressive heat, and the intense travel schedule, while rejecting the suggestion that the result could simply be attributed to defensive substitutions.

Tuchel said: 'No one knows the outcome of any other substitution or any other changes. If there is a need for drama and if a blame game must be played, fine, you can do that. But I have the right not to engage in that.'

When asked about criticism that described his tactical changes as 'cowardly,' Tuchel declined to respond directly: 'I do not read praise and I do not believe in such comments.'

Tuchel confirmed he would rotate his squad against France, but stressed that the match remains an important opportunity for England to prove they belong among the world's elite, acknowledging: 'No one wants to be in this match tomorrow. All four teams wanted to be in New York, but it is an official World Cup match. It is a big match against one of the best teams in the world. It is a moment to prove that we are indeed as good as we have shown throughout the tournament. There is no doubt about that.'

Advertising material

Advertising material