England stars are home: Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions land in Birmingham after seven-week World Cup journey ended with best result since 1966 after Argentina heartbreak

England returned home from the World Cup on Sunday afternoon after finishing their seven-week trip in Miami on top.

The Three Lions failed to win football’s biggest prize for the first time since 1966 after losing 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday, but revived their pride by beating France 6-4 in the bronze final.

Their victory in the Sunshine State meant they achieved their best World Cup performance since the victory 60 years ago.

The manner of Wednesday’s defeat, which saw the Three Lions take the lead through Anthony Gordon, led to increased scrutiny on manager Thomas Tuchel, who was hired to steer the team through high-pressure matches after Gareth Southgate underwhelmed during his tenure.

Tuchel said the widespread criticism leveled at him following the Argentina result made him feel as if England had been eliminated in the group stage.

Tuchel said: ‘Press conference yesterday [before the France win] To be honest, it felt like we went into the group stage without a win.

‘Twenty-four hours later we achieved the greatest success in 60 years. I think what happened against Argentina was very low-key and low-drama, but that’s part of it.

‘The best you can do is react on the pitch and get the next win, everything else is just talk. Talking doesn’t get you points. Talking doesn’t make you win. That’s why you have to put up with it. You have to hold on to it, be strong and keep believing. I’m happy we showed this reaction. “Very impressive.”

Tuchel does not believe that England fans have lost faith either, adding: ‘I don’t think I have lost confidence. Whatever happened in the last 30 minutes against Argentina, why did it happen, whatever happened in the last 10 minutes, we were close, but it is my job to decide. My decisions, my interventions, my changes, my change of structure.

The Three Lions fail to win the World Cup after seven-week adventure in the United States

The Stars sped away from Birmingham Airport after landing on Sunday afternoon.

‘It didn’t have the impact I wanted, so I have to live with it. It’s very painful for me because I did this with good intentions. I did this with a clear plan and a clear idea behind it. It didn’t work out, so I take the blame and responsibility.

‘But I firmly believe that we have built more in this World Cup than we could have lost in these 30 minutes, and personally I am in favor of a decision that turned out not to be effective. The pain will stay with me. The wound will remain on me and the players, not on anyone else.

‘After all, we need to earn confidence on a daily basis in international football. We will meet again in seven, eight weeks, this is the Nations League. We need to earn trust and build trust. It’s never a sure thing, so it’s normal in a high level sport to prove yourself, to prove a point every time you compete.’

England spent most of their World Cup journey in Kansas City and played matches in Dallas, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Mexico City and Miami.

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