Donald Trump questions Harry Kane's defensive role after England's World Cup defeat
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Donald Trump questioned Thomas Tuchel's decision to drop Harry Kane deeper in England's defeat.
- Tuchel defended his tactics, saying England lost control as a team.
- England now face France in the World Cup third-place play-off.
England looked on course for a place in the World Cup final after Anthony Gordon fired them into a 55th-minute lead.
However, the match turned dramatically in the final minutes as Argentina struck twice, inspired by Lionel Messi, to secure a 2-1 comeback victory and book a showdown with Spain in Sunday's final.
Tuchel's tactical changes have come under intense scrutiny from pundits, supporters and former players.
The England manager switched to a back five late in the game and introduced a series of defensive-minded substitutions, with England eventually finishing the match with six recognised defenders on the pitch.
Trump questions Kane's defensive role
Speaking during a FIFA reception at Trump Tower on Friday, Trump revealed his surprise at seeing England's captain playing so deep after the team had taken the lead.Trump, who has previously spoken about playing golf with Kane in West Palm Beach around 18 months ago, praised the striker before questioning England's approach.
You have a great player in England who I've played golf with. Harry has been fantastic.
I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player.
What do I know about soccer? They took the lead and then put their best player in defence.
We've got to be a little offensive, right? I'm not going to tell anyone how to coach, but it was a little unusual.
Infantino hails World Cup success
Trump was also full of praise for the expanded World Cup, describing the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico as one of the greatest sporting events ever staged.During the same reception, FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked Trump for supporting the tournament and claimed the competition had surpassed expectations.
The American dream, Mr President, came to reality. We united the world in America.
This is not just the greatest World Cup of all time; it is the greatest human, social and cultural event mankind has ever witnessed.
Tuchel defends England's tactical approach
Tuchel faced several questions about England's tactical decisions during his press conference on Friday, including Trump's remarks.Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case?The England boss firmly rejected suggestions that Kane had been instructed to play as a defender.
Instead, Tuchel explained that the entire team naturally dropped deeper as Argentina increased the pressure.
In which situation did Harry play too deep?Tuchel acknowledged England became too passive during the final half-hour and admitted his side struggled to regain possession or win key duels after surrendering control of the game.
We defended in a deep block. That's what you do when you're defending in a block. If we are pushed back, everyone defends together. Harry defends with the rest of the team.
That's what team spirit, togetherness and mentality look like on the pitch.
We became too passive in the last 30 minutes.Despite the disappointment, Tuchel insisted the unity and commitment shown by his squad throughout the tournament should not be questioned.
We couldn't get hold of the ball and couldn't find the duels anymore. That's the next step we want to improve.
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England turn attention to third-place play-off
England now have little time to dwell on their semi-final heartbreak.Tuchel's side will look to end their World Cup campaign on a positive note when they face France in Saturday's third-place play-off in Miami before attention turns towards the next chapter under the German manager.
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