Who makes England's next chapter after World Cup heartbreak?
16.07.26, 22:00 Updated 16.07.26, 22:27 5 Minute Read
Gary Jordan
In the end, it was a case of rinse and repeat as England bowed out after a game they seemed to have under control, only to let it slip through their fingers. The manager, the one who was meant to change this Groundhog Day-style cycle, is getting intense scrutiny, and it will go on for a few more days, maybe weeks. Thomas Tuchel will be playing it down. He has already said he has no regrets and that there is no use going over different scenarios. The job is done - or it wasn’t.
The powers that be at the Football Association made their bed before the tournament started by giving the German a contract extension, so he will have a second chance to ‘win it all’ in two summers' time. Perhaps in the next 18 months or so, he will be able to look back and learn from the chaotic last 20 minutes in Atlanta. Only time will tell on that, but while he will be soul-searching, his players can come home after this weekend's somewhat awkward third-place play-off knowing they did all they could, or at least all that was asked of them.
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Gary Jordan Author of Out of the Shadows: The Story of the 1982 World Cup Team. A long-time observer of England, he brings historical perspective and an enduring optimism shaped by decades following the national side.