Thomas Tuchel has refused to second-guess his much-debated tactical decisions after England's painful 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, insisting he carries no regrets about the approach that ultimately cost his side a place in Sunday's final against Spain.
Anthony Gordon's goal had put the Three Lions ahead, but Tuchel quickly shifted his side into a defensive posture, making substitutions and reshaping the team's structure despite significant time still left on the clock. The conservative pivot handed Argentina the initiative, and the South Americans capitalised by fighting back to claim a 2-1 victory and a spot in the showpiece event.
The England manager has faced fierce criticism for his approach, but speaking after the final whistle, he took full ownership while maintaining it was the right call in the moment.
"I analysed the match and I did it a certain way so that's my responsibility," Tuchel told BBC Sport. "In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close. We deserved to be up 1-0."
He continued: "We played one of our better matches, maybe our best match in the circumstances. The team was top, we couldn't get over the line but no regrets."
Tuchel also reflected on the broader journey his squad undertook throughout the tournament, highlighting the adversity they overcame along the way. "I think we saw the mentality throughout the match and the strong group. We played the matches how they were, we played against strong teams in the group, travelled a lot of miles, played at altitude, we played with 10 men, we played in the heat and we overcame every obstacle," he said.
"We were very close today. It's not the moment to analyse the full tournament, we just went out because we lost a crucial match."
Newcastle defender Dan Burn offered a sympathetic perspective on his manager's decisions, acknowledging the players themselves also bore responsibility for dropping too deep after taking the lead.
"I thought we had the gameplan pretty well for the majority of it. But obviously, when we scored, we went a bit passive and dropped off and were ultimately punished for it," Burn admitted.
"We probably conceded too many chances and if you do that, they are going to get goals. Disappointing from us. We have defended games better and seen them out. When you get that close to the World Cup final, that hurts."
Burn suggested the retreat was partly instinctive, adding: "It's only human nature a little bit as well. You know how well we have defended leads in previous games. That tends to happen to majority of teams."