England coach Thomas Tuchel, who will face Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, said that they want to advance to the final.
Answering questions at the press conference held at Atlanta Stadium, the German coach stated that they will witness a great competition in the semi-finals.
Emphasizing that two great football countries will face each other, the 52-year-old coach said:
"Everyone who loves football, everyone who follows the World Cup, knows this situation and what it brings. Two great footballing nations are meeting. We are expecting an intense match, an emotional match. It will be a match with many momentum changes. Anything else would surprise me. We know why we are here, we know what we want. We have never been shy about saying it or dreaming about it. We are in the semi-finals and we came here very hungry. We respect our opponent, but we do not get carried away by their historical events and make it bigger than it is. This is big." "It's a football match. We're very excited and ready to play."
Tuchel underlined that there are no missing players except the suspended Jarell Quansah and Jordan Henderson, who fell from the billboard and broke his arm while celebrating after the Mexico match, and said that Declan Rice is in a position to play.
Stating that they made too many mistakes as a team in the quarter-final match against Norway, Tuchel said, "We could not find rhythm in the attack. We rushed the decision-making process, we were not patient enough, we were not disciplined enough. This caused us to lose our offensive rhythm. We improved a lot in team defense throughout the tournament. This should be at the highest level tomorrow. We need to accelerate in attack. We have not reached this momentum yet. My players will bring out their best in the semi-finals. We are excited for this." He made a statement.
"I love the change in energy in our camp"
Stating that he was able to watch the first half of the semi-final match between France and Spain, Tuchel stated that Spain was impressive.
Emphasizing that Spain played more calmly and had more self-confidence as the stage grew, Tuchel said, "They are very impressive and I congratulate them for this success. We play in the quarter-finals and semi-finals in consecutive tournaments. We made it to the finals in the European Championship. Now we want to bite the last slice, we want to take the next step. I like the change of energy in our camp, I feel that the players are very excited, very ambitious. Nobody is satisfied for this semi-final and this is exactly what we need." he said.
Speaking about Argentina's star football player Lionel Messi, Tuchel said:
"The way Messi carried the team in this tournament is absolutely incredible. Words are inadequate to describe it. There are no words for such quality, such success and responsibility. Now he is in this tournament again. He is a leader and a key player in every team he plays for. We know how adaptable Argentina are. We see that they are experienced in the tournament. They have kept almost the same group of players. They have a very experienced, good coach. They like to play in the middle of the field, they like to make short passes, they are always looking for space. When Messi has the ball, the action starts. When they fall behind "They are not panicking. They are a very competitive group, they have very good players in every position. You have to work hard and overcome difficulties. I think every team in the world is beatable, so are we, and both teams will try."