England carry World Cup exit 'scars', admits Tuchel, citing gap to top nations

England manager Thomas Tuchel stated Friday that the national team players are still affected by their World Cup semi-final loss, admitting a gap remains between England and the world's elite footballing nations. The team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Argentina after conceding late goals, a result that drew criticism for Tuchel's substitutions.

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We have to live with this, so it’s our pain, my pain and the players’ pain, we feel the most pain of all.

"We have to live with this, so it’s our pain, my pain and the players’ pain, we feel the most pain of all," Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference. He described the defeat as a "very painful scar that we carry now." He stressed that the pain is primarily felt by the team, not external critics or family members.

Tuchel, who is managing England in his first major tournament, acknowledged his responsibility for the tactical decisions made during the match. "I took a decision, I took several decisions, trusting my instinct, my intuition, my experience, trusting my competitiveness and I took the decision in order to help the team and get the result," he explained. "We didn’t get the result, so I take, of course, the responsibility for these decisions. But the decisions are made under stress, the decisions are made in-game."

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And it is our scar that we carry now. It is a very painful defeat, and we have to live with this defeat, first and foremost, not the critics, not the experts, not our family members who suffer as well with us and want only the best for us, but it’s basically us.

Despite the disappointment, Tuchel believes England can overcome the setback and use it as motivation. He noted that while England is ranked fourth globally, they still need to bridge a gap with nations like Argentina, Spain, and France, who have a history of winning major titles. "What they built over many years with the coaches and the team, there’s still a slight gap that we have to close," he said. "I think the gap shows in almost the expectations of these countries to win a World Cup and to be in a final."

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I took a decision, I took several decisions, trusting my instinct, my intuition, my experience, trusting my competitiveness and I took the decision in order to help the team and get the result.

Tuchel promised a strong reaction from his players, starting with the third-place play-off against France on Saturday. "We will overcome it, we will use it, we will have a reaction and it starts from tomorrow," he stated. "We have a gap to close, and we are aware of that, and that’s where the focus is."

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We didn’t get the result, so I take, of course, the responsibility for these decisions. But the decisions are made under stress, the decisions are made in-game.