Tuchel Harshly Criticizes World Cup Third-Place Match: 'Nobody Wants to Play It'

England manager Thomas Tuchel has sharply criticized the World Cup third-place playoff match, stating that neither his players nor their opponents, France, wish to participate. "Nobody from our players and nobody from the French players wants to play this game. They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that," Tuchel said at a press conference following England's semifinal loss to Argentina. He acknowledged that England has one less day to recover than France but vowed they would approach the match professionally. Tuchel admitted that the team is hurt by not reaching the final against Spain but recognized that reaching the semifinals is an accomplishment in itself. "We will have to wait four years before we participate in the World Cup again. Reaching the semifinals is an achievement in itself, of course. Many big football nations are eliminated before the semifinals. That is an achievement, but nobody wants to hear it right now, including myself, because we are very demanding of ourselves," he stated. The manager views the match against France as the first step toward recovery. "It is important that we recover and react. That is what you have to do at the highest level of sport, and we will do that." Winning the bronze medal would represent England's best World Cup performance since their victory in 1966.

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Nobody from our players and nobody from the French players wants to play this game. They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that.