Thomas Tuchel’s name was booed by England fans in Miami before kick-off of the World Cup Bronze Final against France. The stadium announcer read out the players’ names to cheers, but the mood soured when it came to the manager. The travelling supporters made their point “very loud and clear” in a sharp wake-up call to the FA and Tuchel about the public mood after England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night.
“It was loud, very clear,” reported the Mirror’s John Cross. The backlash follows England’s loss to their great rivals, which blew “a great chance to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years.” Tuchel, asked whether he wanted to stay on despite the changing mood, gave a terse answer in his pre-match press conference, questioning whether the mood was really “split” and insisting he wanted to carry on.
“England fans booed Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup Bronze Final against France, reflecting anger over the semi-final defeat to Argentina.”
France head coach Didier Deschamps had summed up the feeling in both camps before the match: “The best for France and England would be for this match not to exist.” England manager Tuchel, after the defeat by Argentina in Atlanta, echoed that view, saying, “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match.” But addressing the media on Friday, he offered a more positive perspective: “If we win the game tomorrow, we have the best results of a World Cup in 60 years. It’s a perspective to it.”
The third-place play-off – known by Fifa as the Bronze Final – has been played at every World Cup for the past 72 years, first introduced in 1934 and a regular fixture from 1954. England have competed in it twice since 1966, losing to hosts Italy in 1990 and to Belgium in 2018. Croatia, who won bronze in 2022 after being runners-up in 2018, embraced the match. Manager Zlatko Dalic said after their 2-1 win over Morocco: “We won the bronze medal and it has a golden layer. It is like we have won the gold medal tonight.”
Former France and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, who has played just 14 minutes in the tournament, was blunt: “Not one of us want to play this game for third place. But we don’t have the choice.” The play-off offers opportunities for players who have struggled for minutes – England may use the game to introduce James Trafford or Kobbie Mainoo to World Cup football.
The harsh reality for Tuchel is that the fans have made up their minds who is responsible for the Argentina defeat, and they have put it on the manager rather than the players. It is a long way back for any manager to win back the players – and that is the toughest task facing Tuchel now.