'What do I know?' - Donald Trump joins criticism of Thomas Tuchel for playing 'golf partner' Harry Kane in 'defence' during England’s World Cup exit

Criticism of Tuchel's tactics following England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina has come from an unexpected source, with US President Trump questioning the manager's decisions. The Three Lions looked set to reach the final after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, but Tuchel's switch to a back five - eventually finishing with six defenders - allowed Argentina to dominate the closing stages. Lionel Messi set up goals for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, sealing a dramatic 2-1 win for the South Americans.

Speaking alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino during an event at Trump Tower, Trump referenced his friendship with Kane from a past round of golf before questioning the manager's tactical adjustments.

Trump said: "You have a great player in England, who I played golf with. You know that, right? Harry, who's been fantastic. I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player.

"What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him on defence. We have got to be a little offensive, right? But I'm not going to call it. What do I know about coaching? It was unusual, but Harry is a great guy, actually."

Tuchel shrugged off Trump's comments while defending his team's defensive structure and the captain's role on the pitch. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the third-place playoff against France, the England boss insisted: "Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case or...? I was just asking.

"In which situation did Harry play too deep? What do you mean? Like in the last 30 minutes? Well, we defended in a deep block. That's what you do if you defend in a block. We were not active enough, we could not escape the deep block, but if you defend in a deep block, everyone defends in a deep block. That is what team spirit, togetherness, and mentality is translated to in football terms.

"We defend as a 10 and as 11, and if we are pushed back to a deep block, Harry defends in a deep block. This is what he did for moments in the first half. The difference is that we pushed back and we stepped out and we found the triggers to come out of the deep block. But we do everything together as a team.

"The team spirit, the togetherness, the mentality that this team built in the last six and a half weeks is not to be questioned and it showed even in defending. We became too passive in the last 30 minutes. We could not get hold of the ball, we could not find duels anymore. This is the next step that we want to take and from there we go."

England must swiftly shift their focus to face a tough test against France in Saturday's World Cup third-place playoff match. Despite the wave of criticism following their semi-final collapse, ESPNreports that Tuchel's position remains perfectly secure, with the tactician retaining the full backing of the Football Association (FA) to lead the team through to Euro 2028.