‘FFS, why?’ – Fans fume at Thomas Tuchel’s England lineup for World Cup third place play-off against France

ENGLAND fans fumed as Thomas Tuchel’s team selection for tonight’s World Cup third place play-off was revealed. The Three Lions are set to take on France in Miami with a place on the podium on the line. Thomas Tuchel addressed the media ahead of tonight’s match Credit: Reuters England crashed out of the World Cup on Wednesday night Credit: Getty Tuchel has made several changes, including restoring Bukayo Saka to the starting XI – after the Arsenal winger did not feature at all in the semi-final. Meanwhile Declan Rice has kept his place, despite having been plagued by fitness issues during the tournament. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Responding to the line-up, one fan fumed: “FFS Saka and Rice playing tonight, why???” And a second huffed: “Just sack him now. Pointless game and he’s playing Rice and Saka who are running on empty”. READ MORE ON THE WORLD CUP Another sarcastically added: “Yes Tuchel start an unfit and injured Declan rice and Saka for a game that means absolutely nothing”. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were named among the substitutes for the match, almost certainly ending their respective Golden Boot hopes. Both men have scored six goals at the tournament – two fewer than top scorers Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Kobbie Mainoo, who has not played a single minute at the World Cup, missed out on the matchday squad altogether due to injury. Most read in Football WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Dean Henderson was selected in Jordan Pickford’s place between the sticks, while Trevoh Chalobah hoped for his first action of the tournament from the bench. Tuchel‘s side were dumped out in the semi-finals as they lost 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta. England led for much of the second-half, only to collapse late on. Last-gasp goals by Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez saw Argentina book their place in tomorrow’s final. The Three Lions sat back during the second period, recording only 12 per cent possession between their 55th minute opener and Argentina’s 92nd minute winner. Boss Tuchel was subsequently criticised for his tactical decisions. The German, 52, brought Ezri Konsa on for Anthony Gordon on 72 minutes, before going on to replace ailing Reece James and Declan Rice with Nico O’Reilly and Dan Burn. Ahead of tonight’s match, Tuchel admitted that his players were not enthusiastic about the prospect of earning third place. The former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss said: “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match. “They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. “Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is. We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.” Comment now