Harry Kane and the England national team fell short at the 2026 World Cup, falling 2-1 to Argentina in a collapse that frustrated fans from all corners, including those not affiliated with the Three Lions. They were able to win the third place game to post their best finish in decades, winning 6-4 over France after jumping out to a 4-0 lead at the half, but that consolation prize felt meaningless after the way they blew the game to arguably their biggest World Cup rivals.
While Kane had a fantastic tournament and finished with six goals as the main man for the Three Lions once more, the Bayern Munich superstar had to have a bitter feeling in his mouth after England could have had so much more.
Most England fans and pundits around the world pointed to Thomas Tuchel as the problem, and even Donald Trump criticized the German manager for turning Harry Kane, his best player, into almost a defender in that loss to Argentina. It was a cardinal sin to sit everyone back in defense, invite all the pressure in the world, and allow Lionel Messi to steal the lead back for Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel cost England
But Kane, the gentleman that he is, is not having it and is not interested in throwing Tommy T, the former Champions League winning manager for his old rival Chelsea, under the bus for his poor management decisions.
Kane told reporters, via iMiaSanMia, "He's a big reason why we're here, a big reason why we got our best finish in 60 years. Of course there are a lot of what ifs from the other night [against Argentina]. He's one of the best coaches in the world, but even the best make mistakes. That goes for us players as well. The fans have every right to be angry. Thomas knows when he took the job that there will be high pressure and high stakes."
Whlie the sentiment from Kane is taken well and is an example of his great personal character, Tottenham Hotspur and England supporters will not be so easily convinced, nor will they necessarily give Tuchel any credit for materially improving the team beyond what Gareth Southgate was doing.
Southgate also had England in a World Cup semifinal in 2018 and two European Championship Finals, and Tuchel was hired to do better than that. It is only one tournament and he should not be fired for winning third at a World Cup, but he does hold a lot of the blame for what happened against an overrated Argentina side. Kane may be defending Tuchel, but the fans will not.
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