France vs England: Why World Cup third-place play-off is huge for Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel

England are in the midst of a run of three matches against the top three sides in world football. That is unprecedented.

Far from being a ‘dead rubber’, this third-place play-off has huge ramifications for how this World Cup will be remembered – and almost certainly for Thomas Tuchel’s future.

Let’s be clear: the FA are still fully behind the England manager, and he said in the aftermath of the semi-final capitulation to Argentina that he is “100 per cent” committed to the role, up to and including the European Championships in 2028.

But. But. But. I have never before seen such an outpouring of bile towards any England boss when the team has, on paper, had a largely successful World Cup.

Remember, Tuchel’s team has gone all the way to the semi-final of a major tournament and only lost to a team that contains the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi. A team that has won their last 15 knockout games and claimed the last three major international tournaments in which they have played (two Copa Americas and one World Cup).

Despite that, Tuchel has been vilified. He has been roundly criticised from every quarter, including myself, for switching to a back five – and then bringing on a sixth defender in Nico O’Reilly – to try to protect a slender 1-0 lead in Atlanta.

All of which meant England had no out-ball and no respite from the Messi onslaught.

To add insult to injury, Tuchel went on to say he had “no regrets” about the decisions he’d taken and he thought the problem on the night was a systemic inability of English players to maintain possession, rather than any failings with his tactics.

It was bullish in the extreme, as you might expect of any elite coach who is backed into a corner and for whom there is no room for self-doubt.

But it has been made clear to me that it is not just some sections of the media and England’s support that Tuchel has temporarily alienated. A number of players within Tuchel’s squad – some of them senior – think the head coach got it wrong.

There is frustration with their own performances for sure. The players themselves know they’d dropped too deep and failed to keep the ball effectively in the 17 minutes after they’d scored and before Tuchel made his first substitution.

But there is bemusement at the tactical decisions which led to England blowing what one source said to me was “their best chance ever” to get to a World Cup final.

England can achieve best World Cup finish since 1966

So what now? A third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday that no one cares about? Actually – not so.

France are the No. 1 ranked team in world football. They were the favourites to win the tournament here in the US and were the most dominant team right up until they lost, abjectly, to Spain.

They have some of the best players on the planet right now in Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele. If England are not at their absolute best for this one, they could be not just beaten but embarrassed. Where would Tuchel be if that happened?

If you look at it positively, this is a huge opportunity for Tuchel and England to make a lasting statement, one huge final scalp that may help lessen the negativity flying around after the Atlanta semi-final capitulation.

Beating France would mean England had achieved their best finish at a World Cup since 1966 and they would likely jump to third place in the FIFA rankings. But on top of that, it would be a massive statement and another show of this squad’s wonderful resilience and character after the crushing disappointment of crashing out of the tournament.

We’ve seen it already in this World Cup. The magnificent backs-to-the-wall, gutsy win in the cacophonous Azteca Stadium when England were down to 10 men and fighting for their tournament lives. That, many argue, was England’s greatest ever performance on foreign soil.

We’ve seen it in the hot-box of Miami in the quarter-final, where despite a less-than-fluent performance and temperatures that felt like 44C, the squad again prevailed after 120 minutes.

‘France game crucial for Tuchel’s future’

Can they pick themselves up one more time to go all-out against France? Importantly, can Tuchel motivate them to do exactly that after he publicly criticised their footballing pedigree and “DNA”?

If not, there will surely be new questions in the halls of power at Wembley. Tuchel was employed as the serial winner, the knockout specialist, the man who had the nous to finally put a second star on the shirt.

Back-to-back defeats against the two teams ranked first and third in the world would not reassure anyone that he can do it in the biggest of games.

And then come Spain at Wembley in September. The third game of this tantalising but tortuous trio. Depending on what happens in Miami on Saturday night against France, that replaying of the 2024 Euros final could be make-or-break for Tuchel.

That’s why this game against France is so far from being a meaningless curtain-closer. It is absolutely crucial for Tuchel’s future and the direction of travel for this England team.

Twice before, in 1990 and 2018, England have lost this bronze-medal match. They will be desperately hoping to avoid a troubling hat-trick.

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