England manager Tuchel and defender Stones addressed the controversy surrounding their semi-final loss at the pre-match press conference before the third-place playoff against France.

Regarding the team's overly passive performance in the final 35 minutes of the semi-final, Tuchel said: "I maintain my view – we were too passive. If you ask whether I regret my decisions, the answer is no. At the time, I made adjustments based on intuition, experience, and competitive instinct, attempting to help the team achieve a result, but ultimately we fell short. I accept full responsibility. These decisions were made under pressure during the match, and I don't regret my reactive approach."

When asked who bore responsibility for the passive performance, Tuchel said: "I take responsibility. If blame must be assigned, it falls on me. But I don't believe anyone should be blamed individually. No one can predict the outcome of substitutions. A match is far more complex than simple offensive and defensive structures. We encountered problems with the 4-4-2 formation, and changing it didn't solve them. This defeat is painful—it's our wound. We'll move past it and begin closing the gap tomorrow."

Regarding Harry Kane's positioning, Tuchel explained: "In the final 30 minutes, we defended deep, and Kane defended deep as well; it was a collective effort. The team spirit and resilience we've built over the past six and a half weeks are beyond question. We simply were too passive in those final 30 minutes, couldn't retain possession, and couldn't establish a counter-attacking threat."

When asked if he had grown from the semi-final experience, Tuchel said: "I'm gaining experience every day working with top players. I'm better today than I was yesterday."

On why Saka didn't play, Tuchel said: "We opted for a more physical option in Morgan Rogers, who showed something special in training, and I'm pleased he proved himself with an assist. Saka was also a consideration, but when we faced difficulties, we made that decision in the moment."

Media questioned the decline in the team's high-intensity running data, and Tuchel acknowledged: "Playing with 10 men against Mexico, the altitude, travel, fatigue, and extra time against Norway may have taken a greater toll than we realized. The players gave everything in every match, so there must be a reason for the data decline. Argentina found another level; their years of accumulated experience and confidence were instrumental."

Regarding questions about conceding goals, Tuchel said: "I never shy away from explaining, so I don't understand your question."

When asked if doubts from fans and media would influence his decision to stay, Tuchel replied emphatically: "No. My decision to continue will never be determined by that."

Stones was asked about his future and his thoughts on the semi-final, to which he replied: "I'm not stepping away from playing for my country at this time. My recollection of that match is still hazy and emotionally charged. It's easy to say 'what if' afterwards, but it's difficult to process immediately. Tomorrow will arrive quickly, and it's a good opportunity to compete for a bronze medal—something I haven't achieved before."

A Brazilian reporter characterized Tuchel's second-half decisions as "cowardly," to which Tuchel responded: "Completely unacceptable. I don't seek praise, nor do I accept such characterizations. If we win tomorrow, we will achieve England's best FIFA World Cup result in 60 years."

When discussing how to motivate players for the third-place playoff, Tuchel said: "Nobody wants to play this match; all four teams want to reach the final. But this is an official FIFA World Cup match and an opportunity to achieve our best result in 60 years, against an in-form French team. Mentality isn't something you simply switch on; we have an opportunity to demonstrate our team spirit. I will make some changes to the lineup, but I haven't decided how many yet."

When asked if this was the most painful moment of his career, Tuchel said: "I've experienced many painful moments, and this won't be the last. This is why we love and hate football. But we will bounce back and move forward."

Stones spoke about his experience over the past two days: "Today was the first time we fully prepared for tomorrow's match. Everyone has felt pain and emotion, but as players, we should remember that we deserve to be proud of ourselves. The efforts of our entire team, the sacrifices, the support from our fans—all of that deserves recognition. We believed we could go all the way, so being eliminated in the semi-finals hurts more."

Tuchel concluded by summarizing the gap: "Countries like Argentina, France, and Spain have years of accumulated championship-winning mentality as a team; they almost expect to win. We're still catching up, and there's a small gap to bridge. Tomorrow against France, we will give everything."

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