England coach Thomas Tuchel has criticised the World Cup third-place play-off, saying neither his players nor France’s want to participate after both teams suffered semi-final heartbreak.
Following England’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina, Tuchel voiced frustration at the fixture. “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” he told reporters.
“They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”
Despite the loss, Tuchel defended reaching the semi-finals as an achievement. “Reaching the semi-finals is already an achievement in itself, of course.
Many great footballing nations are eliminated before the semi-finals,” he said. “It’s an achievement, but nobody wants to hear that at the moment, myself included, because we’re very demanding of ourselves.”
Tuchel confirmed he has no plans to step down, focusing on the 2028 European Championship. England will face France in the bronze medal match, which he sees as a chance to rebound.
“The important thing for us is to bounce back and react. That’s what you have to do at the highest level of sport and that’s what we’ll do.”
