England manager Thomas Tuchel spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against France, reflecting on his side’s semi-final defeat and frankly acknowledging the gap between England and leading powers such as Argentina, France and Spain.
Tuchel admitted this was the first defeat in his 14 competitive matches in charge, and said the sense of disappointment was especially strong. Facing the reigning world champions in the semi-final, England had led by one goal in the 85th minute, but were eventually turned around and beaten 2-1 by a side packed with world-class players, a result he found hard to accept.
In his view, England fully deserved their place in the semi-finals and remain firmly among the world’s top four teams. The squad not only valued the hard-earned semi-final berth, but also genuinely believed they could go one step further and reach the final. He said the group had already built a title-chasing mentality, and everyone had pictured themselves walking onto the pitch for the final, making the defeat even harder to take.
From an objective standpoint, Tuchel said France, Spain and Argentina already regard winning the title as the natural target, and that their overall level remains higher. England, for now, have not yet reached that same level, and there is still a considerable gap to close, something the team must address in the future.
He added that England will not stop chasing the strongest teams and will continue to challenge the elite. There is still plenty of work to do on the tactical and technical side, and while others may try to create conflict or assign blame, he has no interest in that and remains focused solely on improving the team.