Harry Kane expressed confidence in Thomas Tuchel’s ability to learn from England’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming Nations League matches for gaining experience against elite teams.
Kane remained on the bench during England’s thrilling 6-4 victory over France, which secured third place and marked their best performance at a World Cup held outside their home country. Tuchel, who extended his contract prior to the tournament, faced significant criticism for his decision to adopt a defensive formation in an attempt to protect a 1-0 lead against Argentina.
While acknowledging that England fell short against Lionel Scaloni’s squad, Kane praised the cohesive environment Tuchel has fostered since taking over from Gareth Southgate in 2025, calling it “the best England group I’ve been a part of in terms of togetherness”
The captain stated, “I know there are a lot of questions after the other night. We have to process it as players. I’m sure the manager will. It’s his first major tournament. He’ll learn a lot from the players, the situations, the pressures, the travel. “There are also a lot of things as players we can learn from the other night. For now it’s just trying to process everything. We had a lot of good things, a lot of tough situations we overcame. The group is incredible, the best England group I’ve been a part of in terms of togetherness. The boss was a big part of creating that as well. “Fans are going to be angry and we understand it. It’s a major tournament and that’s why you dream so big. When it doesn’t go your way you have to take the criticism. We’re all willing to do that, to dare to reach the biggest goal of all. We know over the next two years until we’re facing that situation again there is always going to be a question mark. It’s something we have to take and use as motivation.”
He continued, “The last 30 minutes of Argentina is not the team we want to be,”
Addressing the disappointment among fans, Kane remarked, “We spent a lot of time over the last two years talking about that situation, to attack those moments. The bottom line is we lost anyway. It’s easy to go away and talk about it. We need to get better at actually being in those situations. We can train, play the qualifiers … I think the Nations League will be big for us, against Spain and Croatia, big teams. “Getting used to those big environments and finding our best form against those teams, like we did against France, albeit not in the most competitive match. We have to learn, improve. The coach will have improved from these learnings. I can talk as much as I want but ultimately it’s about showing it next time we’re in that situation.” He added that they must use the next two years until their next major challenge as motivation.
Following their relegation from the top Nations League group in 2022 under Southgate, England missed regular encounters with top-tier teams in the lead-up to the World Cup. However, they were promoted back to the top tier in 2024 and are set to compete against Spain, Croatia, and Czechia, starting with a rematch against Spain on September 26 at Wembley, coming off their victory over France.
Kane noted, “The enthusiasm he has, the emotion he brings, the tactical experience he has … it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right every time. We want to get it right on the biggest occasions and he expects that from himself as well. He’s a fantastic coach. He not only gave the players belief but he gave the country belief that it was our year. That is why it hurts even more than other years because everyone believed we were going all the way. “Everyone has to process it. He has to process it himself. We’re still in that grieving stage, the emotional stage, and we’ll be in that for the next few weeks. It won’t be until the next camp where you think about what the future holds and what the next target is. We’ll have conversations as captain and manager and with other teammates and staff, to see where we can be better.”
He emphasized the necessity of acclimating to high-pressure environments, stating, “Getting used to those big environments and finding our best form against those teams, like we did against France, albeit not in the most competitive match. We have to learn, improve. The coach will have improved from these learnings.”
Kane, who has faced defeat in two World Cup semi-finals and two European Championship finals, believes Tuchel is capable of leading England to the final hurdle. He remarked, “The enthusiasm he has, the emotion he brings, the tactical experience he has … it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right every time. We want to get it right on the biggest occasions and he expects that from himself as well.”
He concluded with an acknowledgment of the emotional toll of the loss, saying, “Everyone has to process it. He has to process it himself. We’re still in that grieving stage, the emotional stage, and we’ll be in that for the next few weeks. It won’t be until the next camp where you think about what the future holds and what the next target is.”
