Tuchel says England a step below Argentina, Spain, France

England coach Thomas Tuchel believes his team is not yet at the level of global powerhouses like Argentina, Spain, and France. He stated that while those nations expect to win every tournament, England has not reached that stage.

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We are not them. France, Spain, and Argentina expect to win. We are not there yet. There is a gap to close.

"We are not them. France, Spain, and Argentina expect to win. We are not there yet. There is a gap to close," Tuchel said at a press conference ahead of the third-place match against France. He elaborated that the gap exists in how the team plays under pressure, imposes itself, and advances to the next level.

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There is a gap to close in the way we play football under pressure, in the way we impose ourselves, in the way we move to the next level.

England has only won one World Cup, in 1966, and has never won the European Championship. Following their loss to Argentina, where they conceded two late goals, Tuchel faced scrutiny over his tactical decisions. He defended his choices, stating he felt the team was becoming too passive and the game's momentum was shifting, but ultimately accepted responsibility for the outcome.

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I do not regret my decisions because I felt we were becoming too passive. I felt the momentum of the game was changing and I tried to help my team.

Looking ahead to the match for third place, Tuchel noted that a win would secure England's best World Cup performance in sixty years, surpassing their fourth-place finishes in 1990 and 2018. Despite acknowledging that "nobody wants to be in this match tomorrow," he stressed that England would approach it with responsibility. "Mentality is not something you switch on and off at will," the coach warned.

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Nobody wants to be in this match tomorrow, but we will approach it with responsibility.