Tuchel: England 'Recovering from the Bitterness' of World Cup Disappointment

German manager Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday that England’s emphatic 7-0 victory over Croatia proved the team had healed from the painful exit at the World Cup, just three months after facing harsh criticism for his controversial role in their elimination.

England were on the verge of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 when they took the lead in the second half of their July semi-final against Argentina. But Tuchel’s decision to adopt a more conservative approach in the final minutes backfired dramatically, as Argentina scored twice in the last five minutes, shattering England’s title hopes.

The former Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea manager came under widespread fire for his cautious style, raising questions about his ability to maintain the support of his players.

Tuchel bore the brunt of criticism from a frustrated nation before beginning the process of healing during the current international break.

Despite a 3-2 defeat to world champions Spain in England’s opening match of the Nations League campaign last week, the team’s performance was encouraging for Tuchel, who found further reasons for optimism in a convincing 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday, who played the final portion of the match with ten men.

With England delivering an unremitting attacking display against Croatia in the third round of the Nations League on Saturday in Rijeka, it appeared Tuchel was finally moving past the disappointment of the World Cup.

That vibrant attacking performance was what England fans had hoped for during the World Cup, and Tuchel believes lessons have been learned.

“I have said many times that we will always carry a scar, and we will always feel the pain and disappointment. That’s the nature of things, but that’s the way to move forward,” he said.

He added, “We made some adjustments after certain events following the World Cup, and we played in the same way in all three matches. We are improving in implementing it, the squad is convinced by it, and that is the most important thing.”