Tuchel will continue to be the manager of England despite being out of the World Cup

The Football Association has backed England manager Thomas Tuchel, with chief executive Mark Bellingham insisting the German “gave his all” in their struggling World Cup campaign.

The Three Lions crashed out of the semi-finals last night following a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Argentina, with late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez doing the damage after Anthony Gordon’s goal.

Tuchel’s tactics of throwing defenders and staying back – England had just 12% between Gordon’s goal and Martinez’s winner – backfired badly as Argentina were given the momentum they needed to turn the game around.

The former Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and PSG manager was brought in to provide extra flair at key moments but failed as England crashed out in the last four for the second time in three World Cups.

However, Bellingham still believes Tuchel is the man to take England forward.

“It hurts to be so close,” Bullingham said.

“The players and Thomas gave everything today and the team, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament.

“I would like to thank them all – and also a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home.”

Tuchel says reaching the semis has been a ‘success’ for England

The FA gave Tuchel a two-year contract in February that included him in the 2028 European Championship hosted by England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking after the game in Atlanta last night, Tuchel said it was “an achievement” for England to reach the final four and expressed his intention to continue.

“We continue with the contract until the domestic Euro,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to that even though it’s hard to look that far at the moment.

“Of course, it’s a semi-final; most football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so it’s a success.

“Nobody wants to hear that right now; neither do I because we want more from ourselves. That’s just a form of competition.”

England coach Tuchel defends bad players

Tuchel defended his substitutions and lack of familiarity with his game plan, adding: “We were very close but we were very quiet after we scored, we conceded a lot of chances and we couldn’t change possession.

“We could not maintain the level after scoring the goal [made attacking] instead of [previous] games. We just tried to help the players.

“We decided to go to the back five because the spaces were very open. [Argentina] won every title; they kept crossing and crossing. We couldn’t get out.

“We weren’t winning balls, we couldn’t keep the ball, it wasn’t a structural problem, nothing changed after the goal but the game changed completely.

“I understand that these discussions exist and, of course, [there are] millions of coaches know better after the game.”