adminPatrick Vieira has thrown his full support behind Thomas Tuchel remaining as England manager, insisting that continuity is essential after the Three Lions’ heartbreaking World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina.
While Tuchel has drawn criticism for his conservative approach after England surrendered their lead against the reigning champions, he is believed to still have the complete backing of the Football Association.
Tuchel also enjoys the support of FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and is expected to keep his role. England’s title hopes were crushed when Argentina rallied to a 2-1 win, scoring twice in the final minutes—including a dramatic injury-time decider—to secure a World Cup final clash with Spain.
Anthony Gordon had lifted the nation’s spirits with a second-half goal, but Tuchel’s increasingly defensive substitutions, aimed at protecting the lead, backfired as Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez completed the stunning comeback.
Despite the painful exit, former Crystal Palace manager Vieira labeled it “mad” to dismiss Tuchel after just one major tournament. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Vieira said: “I believe in stability.
After you make a decision with Tuchel… I think it would be mad, for me, to sack him or change the coach. That was his first big tournament, and of course there are positives and negatives—the frustration is there because you go out like that. But how can he build from it?
He’ll learn a lot about the players, having been with them through good moments and really difficult times. He’ll learn about the group, but you have to give him at least the Euros to see how far they can go. Given how they competed in this World Cup, there’s no doubt—England will win the Euros, not just reach the semifinals. It would be madness for the FA to change that.”
Tuchel is expected to stay on for England’s Euro 2028 campaign. The former Chelsea and PSG manager signed a two-year contract extension in February, tying him to the role through that tournament. Tuchel confirmed: “We keep going with the contract until the home Euros.
I’m looking forward to it, even though it’s hard to look that far ahead right now. A lot of big football nations are out before the semifinals, so it is an achievement. Nobody wants to hear that at the moment—me neither, because we demand the most from ourselves. That’s just the nature of being competitive.”
England have now been eliminated in every World Cup knockout meeting with a top-10 ranked nation since 1998. However, they are guaranteed one final game before heading home: the third-place play-off, or bronze match, against France, offering a chance to end the tournament on a high note. That match is scheduled for Saturday, 18th July, at 10pm UK time, while the final between Spain and Argentina takes place the following day, Sunday, at 8pm.
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