Thomas Tuchel says he is “100%” committed to leading England at Euro 2028 and finding the “extra level” for glory that eluded his team at the World Cup.The manager is under fire for the manner of Wednesday’s 2-1 semi-final defeat in Atlanta. His switch to a back five for the final quarter at 1-0 up did not work, Argentina scoring two late goals to advance into Sunday’s final against Spain.Tuchel maintains the system was not the problem, rather it was the passivity of the players after Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute. He lamented England’s inability to get on the ball and control the game, suggesting it was not in their DNA to do so. The Football Association hired him to solve this issue, among others, and the pain of familiar failings continues to pound.But Tuchel, who signed a contract extension in February to carry him through the Euro 2028 campaign, remains determined and retains the FA’s backing. Asked whether he wanted to take the team forward in the next two years, he replied: “Yes. One hundred per cent. There is still enough to improve and I am more than happy to do that. I’ve loved every day of the World Cup.“I said after the quarter-final win against Norway that I see a disconnect from what I see in training on a football level and within the games. We can impose ourselves more on the ball. We can show what good football players we are. That is still in us as I see it in training and in every camp. And here also at the World Cup. I still feel there is an extra level that we need to conquer. We need to step up to the next level to get the big prize.”At the FA, there is a measure of satisfaction at how the team made it to the semi-finals, and realism, too. When the draw was made, it was considered to be tougher than at previous tournaments under Sir Gareth Southgate, starting with a group that contained Croatia and Ghana.The FA acknowledged the peril of a potential run from the last 16 to the final that took in Mexico in the altitude of Mexico City, Brazil, Argentina and Spain or France. In the event, it was Norway not Brazil in the quarter-final.The governing body was also acutely conscious of the situational and logistical challenges – especially the heat and travel. When England arrived in Atlanta for the Argentina game, it was after their 13th flight since the beginning of the tournament. All this after a gruelling Premier League season for most of the squad. There is the hope that a European Championship – which England will co-host – can be more straightforward.The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, was quick to show his appreciation after the full-time whistle against Argentina. “It is heartbreaking to be so close,” he said. “The players and Thomas gave it everything and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament. I would like to thank them all.”Anthony Gordon was replaced by a defender, Ezri Konza, on 72 minutes, the semi-final’s turning point. Photograph: Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesTuchel was damned by the optics of his retreat into the back five when he sacrificed the pacy outlet of Gordon for the extra centre-half in Ezri Konsa on 72 minutes. But he argued that the rot had set in before then – specifically after Gordon’s goal – when the team were in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.One of the turning points came in the 64th minute when the Argentina manager, Lionel Scaloni, replaced the defensive midfielder Leandro Paredes with the left winger Nico González and moved to 4-2-4. Scaloni went all-out in the 81st minute as England still led, withdrawing the left-back, Nico Tagliafico, and introducing the striker Lautaro Martínez. It paid off, Martínez scoring the stoppage-time winner. England had only 12% of the possession between the Gordon and Martínez goals.“We got too passive within our structure,” Tuchel said. “I tried to help … for us to actually be more active in a back five, to be quicker out to their wingers. We encouraged everyone to step out, to be more active but we just struggled. We couldn’t find any duels any more, which was why we dropped deeper and deeper. It was never the plan but it happened. We couldn’t stop the runners from the second line, the midfielders through our gaps. And their deliveries were on the highest level.“We needed to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back. We just couldn’t cope with the momentum swing. Ball possession plays a crucial role. It’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in the Spanish DNA or the Argentinian or Brazilian DNA – to take the ball and control the game.“It’s also not a problem to defend deep. You can stay active. But we struggled. We struggled physically, as well. Through the whole tournament … playing in the heat, playing in the altitude [against Mexico] and with a man down [after Jarell Quansah’s red card]. It cost us a lot in the end. We gave everything but it was not enough.“My feeling is that no structure in the world could have helped us because we were too passive. We were not physical enough, we didn’t stop runs arriving in our box and the deliveries were then too good.”