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It’s all over – and, again, it is no coming home
Thomas Tuchel, who faced heavy criticism after England’s last semi-final collapse against Argentina, said the 2026 “stain” will remain, but his side have signed Defeated France 6-4 in a remarkable bronze medal match To secure their best finish for 60 years.
What conclusions can really be drawn from that game? How should England view the tournament overall? Who impressed you and who didn’t? And is Tuchel still the right man for Euro 2028?
We ask for your comments and reflections and you deliver. In words, here is the verdict of England’s World Cup Sky Sports reader…
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Sky Sports football correspondent Rob Dorsett has been with England every step of the way at the World Cup – he reflects on England’s performance at the tournament and what could have been…
Was the victory in France a cause for optimism or despair?
Bride Dino: “After the game against France, you can only imagine the threat we would have faced against Argentina in the last 30 minutes with Bucayo Saka or Marcus Rashford on the pitch. Instead of four defenders, not one of them had to throw on, it was mind-blowing.”
Ryan: “Don’t read too much into the first half, it was 2nd XI vs 2nd XI. As France brought on superstars, their quality shone through. Rashford and Saka showed why Tuchel was wrong to drop them and our defense was questionable.”
Chris007: “Don’t be fooled by that performance. France did not appear until the second half. It’s just paper on crack. When France showed England could not compete with them.”
Roy W: “When the pressure is off against a team with no motivation there is nothing to get excited about playing with independence. The same thing will happen at the Euros when the pressure is on.”
DeeC: “What a great finish for the England squad. Yes, they will be badly hurt, as will we all, but for those who are so cruelly critical of a third place finish, stop all the negativity and be proud! We will come back stronger and wiser.”
How should England’s campaign be seen overall?
England’s third-place finish was their best since their 1966 triumph
Rob: “No one beat us so there’s nothing ridiculous for us to be angry about. However, the semi-final was for us and could have been won if the players and managers had been bolder in our play and tactics.”
Miles: “England had a good second half against Croatia and a decent half against Mexico. Everything else was below average or worse. We probably deserved the most meaningless game of the tournament. England need to go up a level or two physically and mentally.”
RJ Harding: “On reflection, third place isn’t too bad; yes, we could have done better tactically against Argentina, but I think we would have lost regardless. Ultimately we’re not as good as most fans/pundits think and the last 5 tournaments have been a huge improvement for England overall.
Matt ‘Skinny’ Gardham: In May, one expected too much; We overachieved in that sense. The frustration came from being 1-0 up in the semi-final and failing to match the second-half substitutions with positive changes of their own. Another missed opportunity
Jack 11: “Fans like England have a divine right to win the World Cup. It was our best finish since 1966 and our best finish on foreign soil. We should be very happy about that.”
Buckley: “We perform when there’s no pressure. Maybe is Our DNA. We probably learned more from this World Cup than anything else.”
How were the players?
Harry Kane became England’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer at the tournament, but some readers were critical of his overall performance.
Dave: “It’s been very clear to me that England have been weak defensively all tournament to me. You can’t claim to be good defensively by having four centre-halves and strikers coming deep.”
Gaza949: “Our wide men were very inconsistent. Elliott Anderson and Declan Rice were good, but we needed a box-to-box midfield player there. Nico O’Reilly was average and we didn’t have a really decent right back.
primitive: “Reece James, Ejri Konsa and Mark Guihy weren’t good enough. It should have been behind Jayden Bogle, Harry Maguire, John Stones and Lewis Hall.”
Danberts: “Ivan Toney didn’t offer much, but his presence as a true No. 9 created space for attacking wingers and midfielders. Harry Kane didn’t have a good tournament. He came in too deep, reduced numbers and made space up the pitch.”
Mike: “It seems like a controversial opinion, but Kathkhotta Ken seems to be analogous to Ronaldo’s situation in Portugal. They score goals, but their presence disrupts how the team plays.”
Is Thomas Tuchel still the right man?
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Jamie Redknapp gives his thoughts on Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup campaign and why he believes he should be replaced as England manager
wish: “I honestly think it was a learning curve from TT: managing an international tournament for the first time. Although I still think it was a missed opportunity, TT is the man for the job and hopefully he won’t make the mistakes he made in this tournament in the future.”
Knock: “We have very good players who play in the toughest leagues in the world, regularly play in Europe and know how to win tournaments. This is only due to the manager not having a clear strategy and picking an unbalanced squad. He should be replaced immediately.”
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Paul Merson says Thomas Tuchel has proven himself no different than Gareth Southgate
Nash: “The events of the last few days make me want Tuchel out. Mistake after mistake during the tournament. Picking unfit players, not rotating the squad. Then the confused protest after the semi-final. Now you tell Saka he was fit all tournament. MESS!!
Steve Wol: “Tuchel is not the man for the job. He selected the wrong squad from the start and then the wrong team and the alternatives are not acceptable and he has to go.”
Becky J: “You can’t help but think Tuchel’s DNA comments were right. I fully support him staying on as manager. I personally don’t think there’s anyone decent enough to take over, especially from an English perspective.”
CC: “The disappointing thing is that everyone sees Tuchel as a very slate. Yes, the subs he made in the Argentina game were bad, but if it had worked would they have been worse? I don’t see us winning the Euros with an Eddie Howe/Frank Lampard side.”
Paul: “Don’t be confused – go get Pep Guardiola!!!!!!!!!”
What’s going on?
Donutsweet: “The future looks bright, but Kane and Jordan Pickford need to step aside and give us time to find their main replacements. We also need to find a right-back.”
Mick Dundee: “We’ve never had a real playmaker, that’s what’s missing. Our coaches play it safe with two holding midfielders. We have to change our thinking – caution doesn’t win anything.”
English French resident: “Ahead of the next tournament will the main priority now be to develop a style of play to control England’s game? A style of keeping the ball and defending possession?”
Gunnerlooki: “I think the one thing we should be concerned about is the lack of a striker for the next tournament. Ken is a great goalscorer but is far behind and lacks other options. There is a big hole at the top for England in the years to come.”
