Thomas Tuchel said that England’s players carry the “scars” of a painful World Cup exit, admitting there was still a gap to close on the top nations.
The England boss has been heavily criticised for his defensive substitutions in a 2-1 semifinal defeat by Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Anthony Gordon put England on track to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, but late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned the match around.
The Three Lions face France in the third-place playoff in Miami on Saturday after Didier Deschamps’ men were beaten 2-0 by European champions Spain.
Tuchel was repeatedly grilled over his tactics during the Argentina game at his pre-match news conference on Friday.
“I tried to help, I tried to support,” said the German, taking charge of his first major tournament with England.
“I took a decision, I took several decisions, trusting my instinct, my intuition, my experience, trusting my competitiveness, and I took the decision in order to help the team and get the result.
“We didn’t get the result, so I take, of course, the responsibility for these decisions. But the decisions are made under stress, the decisions are made in-game.”
‘We have to live with this defeat’
Tuchel was downbeat as he took questions alongside former Manchester City defender John Stones, saying he and his players would suffer the most.