England head coach Thomas Tuchel has defended his tactical decisions after their World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina, saying he has no regrets and taking full personal responsibility for the loss. Speaking ahead of Saturday's third-place play-off against France in Miami, Tuchel called the result a "scar we carry now" as England missed out on their first men's World Cup final in 60 years after leading 1-0 before losing 2-1.

Tuchel said England became "too passive" once Argentina, driven by Lionel Messi, found momentum after equalising, prompting a switch to a back five to counter crosses and attacking runners for the final 35 minutes. He defended captain Harry Kane's deep positioning as a natural consequence of defending in a block, insisted the team's spirit should not be questioned, and suggested the physically demanding earlier games against Mexico and Norway had taken a toll, while acknowledging a gap remains to the world's top teams.