Thomas Tuchel has said he does not care about England’s World Cup comparisons with France and Argentina.
England have joined France in the last-16 after coming from behind to beat DR Congo on Wednesday evening, thanks to a late Harry Kane brace in the Atlanta Stadium.
However, the reaction to the 2-1 win from the English media has been rather negative with former captain Wayne Rooney saying Tuchel’s side will be in “big trouble” if certain tactical issues are not addressed.
This follows on from criticism to performances in the group phase as England were held to a goalless draw by Ghana and then needed more than an hour to break down Panama - a team ranked 44th in the world.
By contrast, France have won all four games at World Cup 2026 and produced, arguably, their most complete performance of the tournament in the 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday.
Argentina, meanwhile, face Cape Verde in their round of 32 clash on Friday, but lead by Lionel Messi, appear to be in good shape to retain their crown later this month.
With both nations finishing first in their respective groups and as the top two ranked teams in the world, they cannot meet each other until the final.
England are on Argentina’s side of the knockout draw and Tuchel says he is happy with the underdogs tag.
"I don't care what people say,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We will see when it comes to that these two teams are the favourites and we are the underdogs and we are happy where we are."
England will come up against co-hosts Mexico in the last-16 during the early hours of Monday morning (July 6) for UK viewers.
The tie will be staged at the formidable Estadio Azteca after Mexico easily brushed aside Ecuador in their round of 32 clash as Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez settled matters in the first half.
