Furious England fans booed Thomas Tuchel’s name when it was read out before kick-off in the World Cup third-place play-off with France in Miami on Saturday
England supporters made their feelings clear to Thomas Tuchel when his name was announced before kick-off.
The travelling England faithful in the Miami stadium booed Tuchel’s name before the third-place play-off clash with France. The German manager has been the subject of heavy criticism following England’s semi-final heartbreak against Argentina on Wednesday evening.
England sat back and invited pressure against Argentina after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring before the hour mark. The Three Lions had gone toe-to-toe with the defending champions but Tuchel’s side backed off and allowed Lionel Messi all the space and time in the world to unpick the defence and spearhead La Albiceleste’s late comeback.
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The stadium announcer called out the names of both squads who all received applause – but the atmosphere shifted dramatically when Tuchel’s turn came. The boos were deafening, unmistakable and will serve as a brutal reality check for both the FA and Tuchel regarding public sentiment.
Opinion has genuinely soured on Tuchel after that crushing Argentina encounter because England not only lost to their bitter rivals but also squandered a golden opportunity to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years.
When Tuchel was questioned about whether he wished to continue even as opinion was shifting against him, he delivered a rather curt response during his pre-match press conference.
Tuchel challenged whether sentiment was truly “split” and maintained he was determined to continue irrespective.
But the brutal truth is that supporters have reached their verdict on who bears responsibility for the Argentina loss and they’ve pinned the blame squarely on the manager rather than the players.
It represents a mountainous climb for any manager to regain the trust of supporters – and that stands as the most daunting challenge confronting Tuchel.
England could achieve their best-ever World Cup showing on foreign territory if they overcome France and claim third place.