Thomas Tuchel showed no inclination toward self-criticism, even a day after England’s loss to Argentina in the World Cup semifinal. While the German coach is facing harsh criticism for his team’s retreat after taking the lead, he believes the problem likely lies in the DNA of English soccer.

“At that moment, my feeling was that no system in the world could have helped us. We were too passive and not dynamic enough; we didn’t stop the players coming into our box, and our movements were also off. Immediately after the goal, the game changed completely, and our possession dropped dramatically. We could no longer win one-on-one battles. That’s why we kept dropping deeper and deeper into our defense. That was never our plan, but it happened. You have to win the ball back. Otherwise, you can’t break the pressure and you can’t regain momentum. I think possession plays a crucial role. “Maybe it’s not in our DNA the way it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentine-Brazilian DNA—to take the ball and control the game with it,” Tuchel said.

The German coach also cited his team’s fatigue as an excuse, noting that England had traveled more air miles than any other team in the World Cup, covering 14,365 miles in five weeks. “We struggled a bit physically, I think, throughout the tournament—playing in the heat, playing at high altitude, playing with one fewer player, and so on. It really took its toll on us in the end,” he said.

Despite the excuses, Thomas Tuchel made it clear that he has no intention of stepping down from his position and believes that, with him at the helm, England can win a major title that the country has been missing for so long. “I believe it 100%. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, plenty of room for improvement, and I’m more than happy to be doing this. I still believe we can be more dominant when we have the ball; I still believe we can show just how good our players are. I think that spirit is still there within us, because I see it in training at every camp and here at the World Cup as well, and I still believe there’s another level we need to reach—and then win the big trophy,” he said.

*photo source: AP