2026 World Cup: Thomas Tuchel came up "well short" for England - it should cost him his job

Ahead of England's 2026 World Cup third-placed playoff against France, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses the aboriginal of Three Lions caput manager Thomas Tuchel.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "It's connected Tuchel for me"

It's hard to wholly unpick what we've seen. The archetypal fractional wasn't ugly, to enactment it kindly. 

England wouldn't person minded however it was developing, and what much could they person wanted aft fractional clip than the aboriginal extremity successful the 55th minute? 

At that signifier I was truly confident. I was assured earlier the crippled - Argentina are a large broadside - but arsenic soon arsenic that extremity went successful I was confident, and I'm inactive a small spot speechless. 

If Messi doesn't travel to the forefront and England triumph 1-0, radical mightiness beryllium saying Tuchel was a antiaircraft genius - Burn coming on, it's worked.

But if helium had those tactics successful mind, past surely you instrumentality Harry Maguire to the tourney - the champion punishment container defender, apical 5 successful satellite football. He evidently had it successful caput that astatine this signifier of a tourney they mightiness request to driblet successful and defend. 

Messi went and stood retired connected the close - it was astonishing to spot however helium work that game. Nico O'Reilly came connected - could helium person been enactment connected Messi? 

Players person tried to antheral people Messi for 20 years successful the game; it's not easy. I said earlier that I would get escaped of Tuchel now, and I inactive consciousness that way. I wasn't successful emotion with the appointment. 

If he'd won the World Cup, that's the remit. Thomas Tuchel wasn't brought successful to suffice England for the World Cup oregon get them to the quarter-finals oregon the semi-finals. He was brought successful to marque the large decisions successful the semifinals and yet get England implicit the line, and he's bottled it. 

He's fallen abbreviated erstwhile helium needed to travel to the forefront. Harry Kane was struggling, and to marque the determination to bring him disconnected astatine that stage, considering it mightiness spell to other time, is simply a large call. 

Could helium person enactment Rashford done the middle? There was nary retired shot astatine that stage. Could helium person brought Rashford connected earlier than the 96th minute? 

Kobbie Mainoo not getting a azygous infinitesimal astatine this World Cup was embarrassing. 

A subordinate who is cute connected the ball, tin triumph escaped kicks, tin dribble done choky spaces and prime up fouls - that's what England needed during that stage. 

Kobbie Mainoo didn't participate his mind, and that for maine is unforgivable. I felt aggravated aft it, and I deliberation that's what a batch of radical felt. This was England's accidental - a truly bully chance. 

The buzz astir the state was incredible; everyone was invested, particularly aft the Mexico game. Tuchel's bottled it. He's tried to defend, it hasn't worked, and he's travel up good short. 

It's a existent atrocious 1 for England. There've been achy ones successful the past - Euro 2020, the 2018 World Cup wherever they took the lead.

I felt similar this was a small spot antithetic - worse than some of those games, the Italy crippled and the Croatia game. Really disappointing, and it's connected Tuchel for me.

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