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Declan Rice is not interested in managing expectations. After England beat France 6-4 in Miami to claim World Cup bronze — their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966 — the stand-in captain delivered a blunt verdict: this is the best England group for a very long time, and that is a fact.
The result softened, but did not erase, the pain of England's semi-final collapse against Argentina. Rice acknowledged the squad is tired of settling for near-misses. "We're tired of saying we're proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals — we want to win with England ultimately," he said. "But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement. We're so close, honestly."
Assistant manager Anthony Barry gave an unguarded half-time interview to BBC One while England led 4-0, visibly emotional. "They're playing a game with broken hearts," Barry said. "I've seen them in the hotel the last few days with broken hearts. And they can build a performance like that through pride of playing for England."
Thomas Tuchel looks set to continue as manager towards Euro 2028, which England co-host, despite sharp criticism of his tactical calls against Argentina — most pointedly his decision not to use Bukayo Saka in the semi-final. The Arsenal winger answered that omission with a hat-trick against France, then confirmed he is fully fit after dealing with injury concerns during the campaign. Harry Kane, who scored six goals at this World Cup but was an unused substitute against France, backed Tuchel, noting it is his first major tournament and that he has learned a great deal from the experience. Tuchel himself said the scar from the Argentina loss will stay, but insisted he has not lost the trust of the squad.