Thomas Tuchel has delivered an emotional address to his England squad, urging his players to finish the World Cup on a strong note following their painful semi-final exit.
The Three Lions were knocked out by Argentina in a 2-1 defeat on Wednesday, with two late goals completing a dramatic comeback to end England’s hopes of lifting the trophy.
Players returned to their base in Kansas City after the semi-final loss to begin preparations for Saturday’s bronze-medal match against France in Miami.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Tuchel used a speech to collectively encourage his squad to put their disappointment aside and finish the tournament on a high.
The German coach is also understood to have stressed how proud he was of the players’ efforts throughout the North American tournament.
England’s run to the last four represented only a fourth World Cup semi-final in the nation’s history, a remarkable achievement despite the bitter manner of their exit.
A victory against France on Saturday would deliver England their best men’s World Cup finish since winning the tournament on home soil back in 1966.
The relationship between Tuchel and his players has become an emerging storyline, with BBC Sport reporting that several key players were left disappointed at how the team were instructed to see out the Argentina game after Anthony Gordon had given them the lead.
Tuchel reverted to a back five and introduced a number of defensive-minded substitutes in the closing stages, before Lionel Messi inspired a stunning comeback by assisting goals for Enzo Fernandez and then Lautaro Martinez’s 92nd-minute winner.
The England head coach has since appeared to push back on suggestions that the defensive approach came from instructions he gave his team, saying it was never the plan to drop deeper and “it’s maybe not in our DNA… to control the game and ball.”
Tuchel is expected to face further questions about England’s tactical approach against Argentina when he speaks to the media ahead of the France match, with that press conference due at 00:30 BST on Saturday.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager signed a two-year contract extension back in February, having originally been appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission to win the World Cup.
Despite falling short of that primary objective, Tuchel is understood to retain the full backing of the Football Association going forward.
He is expected to continue leading England into the 2028 European Championship, which will be hosted across England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
