Donald Trump Questions England's Defensive Tactics; Annoyed Tuchel Delivers Clear Response

"Harry is fantastic. I think they made a mistake by turning him into a defender. What do I know about football? They were leading, and then they put their best player in defense," Trump said, according to DPA, at a press conference regarding Kane, with whom he had previously played golf in Palm Beach, Florida. He added that he considered such an approach "a bit unusual," although he admitted he was not a coach.

Tuchel has faced massive criticism from both media and fans in England for changing his formation with substitutions after taking the lead against Argentina, focusing exclusively on defense. Trump has now voiced a similar opinion.

Tuchel reacted irritably to the US President's comments at Friday's press conference ahead of the third-place playoff against France:

"Are you using Donald Trump as a witness in this case?" he asked a journalist who reminded him of the President's words. Tuchel then explained that in the closing stages of the match, the English defended in a deep block, which is why Kane was also involved in defensive duties: "If you defend in a deep block, everyone defends. We defend with ten or eleven players. That's team spirit and cohesion."