By Tom Hill
England manager Thomas Tuchel has defended his decisions in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, suggesting that the DNA of English football needs to change for the Three Lions to have any success.
The German was handed the reins in October 2024, replacing Gareth Southgate, who had led the Three Lions to the final of that year's European Championships.
Tuchel initially had a watching brief as Lee Carsley oversaw the side in the Nations League, before taking charge for the friendlies in March 2025.
Tactical changes fall short
Having won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea, the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain, Tuchel was labelled the 'tactician' England needed to end their wait for a major trophy.
England breezed through World Cup qualifying and did enough to top Group L, despite winning only two of their pool-stage matches.
Victories over D.R. Congo, Mexico and Norway followed, but England were far from convincing in any of them.
Having taken the lead in their semi-final against Argentina, the 52-year-old made numerous defensive substitutions to protect his team's advantage, and has been lambasted for his decisions following the 2-1 defeat.
Tuchel was critical of England's approach of sitting back at Euro 2024, but the German has defended his decisions and said the DNA of the English game may need to change.
He told reporters: "I think ball possession plays a crucial role. It's maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or Argentinian or Brazilian DNA to take the ball, control the game and the ball, which is also a big problem."
Kane echoes Tuchel's thoughts
Tuchel's comments have been echoed by captain Harry Kane, who suggests he and his team are "missing that final piece of the jigsaw" required to go all the way in a major tournament.
Kane has vowed to help England improve, but the Bayern Munich striker has likely played in his last World Cup.
The Three Lions squad are still preparing for Saturday's Bronze Final with France, but the reports from the USA suggest that around 7,000 tickets are still available.
The lack of interest comes as no surprise, with the World Cup final taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
Fifa introduce new prize
It has been announced that Fifa will present World Cup rings to the winners of the final, an event that President Donald Trump will attend.
Winners' rings are a tradition in American sport and it has been revealed that 30 rings will be made available to the world champions, while a further 1,996 will also go on sale to fans.
Ahead of kick-off on Sunday, a weather warning has been confirmed in New York due to air quality caused by wildfires in Canada, but there have been no suggestions that the final will be affected.