Thomas Tuchel has explained why Bukayo Saka was given a reduced role at the World Cup after the England star admitted he wanted to play more. Arsenal winger Saka scored a hat-trick in Saturday's third-place play-off against France, as the Three Lions ran out 6-4 winners following one of the wildest games in World Cup history.
Saka became only the fourth male England player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, matching the achievements of Sir Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. However, after coming into the tournament with an Achilles injury, Saka started just one of England's four knockout matches prior to beating France and did not play a single minute in their semi-final loss to Argentina.
Tuchel's Explanation
Post-match, Tuchel was asked why he did not hand the 24-year-old a more prominent role. "He did everything right," the England manager acknowledged. "I just had the feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special, and that was it."
"And then the game in itself demands so much, you're forced into changes because of cramps and the flow of the game so Bukayo showed he was a key player, it was never a doubt. I was not even aware he had a hat-trick, I lost the overview of all the goalscorers, but well-deserved credit."
Saka's Disappointment
Saka made it clear he was disappointed with his lack of action, having declared he was fit. "Of course I would love to have played more but it's too late to talk about that," he admitted. "I try to do my talking on the pitch and it's done now, move on."
Tuchel's Full Remarks
Tuchel went on to say: "He was excellent, Bukayo is a key player for me. He was ready to go in the World Cup, I felt still the responsibility as a coach, and with the history given where he came from to take it slow with Bukayo."
"He started quite some matches, it was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final. I had a feeling after the Norway match that Morgan Rogers had something special to give to us with his physicality and his body in the match against Argentina."
"We had him warm up several times against Argentina, we were ready to change but the game became so crazy that in the end we opted for a different option."
"But nothing has changed during this World Cup for me, Bukayo is a fantastic teammate, a fantastic football player, a key player for us, that will not change, he showed it again today, I'm happy for him and happy for us, he's excellent."
