Are you using Donald Trump as a witness? Thomas Tuchel strikes back in English tactics
England manager Thomas Tuchel applauded as he kicked out US President Donald Trump, who trolled him for using Harry Kane in a defensive role during the semi-final defeat to Argentina. Trump has become the latest critic of Tuchel and his defensive tactics that saw England slip away and crash out of the tournament.
Trump said this during a FIFA reception event on Saturday that Tuchel had made a mistake playing Kane in a deeper role before sarcastically saying he didn’t know much about coaching. During the pre-match press conference ahead of the third-place play-off match, a reporter asked Tuchel about criticism of his tactics and Trump’s kick-off.
Tuchel gave the reporter a simple answer and asked:
“Are you using Donald Trump as your witness for the case?”
You can watch the full video below:
‘NO REGRETS’
When pressed more on the criticism he received, Tuchel reiterated that he does not regret the decisions he made and went with his intuition and experience to get the result.
“If you’re asking if I regret my decisions, if that’s the question, then I say no. I don’t regret my decisions because I felt we became too passive,” he told reporters on Friday.
“I made some decisions, I trusted my instinct, my intuition, my experience, I trusted my competitiveness and I decided to help the team and get a result.
“I would regret not helping. I would regret not responding, but I don’t regret the decision itself.”
When asked to respond to the comment about his substitutions being cowardly, Tuchel chose not to engage, saying he was not concerned with external noise.
“I don’t read praise and I don’t believe such comments,” he said. “If we win the game tomorrow, we will have the best World Cup results in 60 years. That’s perspective.”
England will be aiming for third place in Miamiwhich will be their best finish since winning the 1966 World Cup.
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Published on:
18 Jul 2026 16:12 IST