Thomas Tuchel had blood on his hands but a smile on his face.

‘You’re not scratching yourself like Pep, are you?’ we asked, on the eve of the knockout rounds.

‘Not yet!’ replied the England boss.

He should be scraping his forehead now.

Tuchel has failed in his stated ambition of adding a second star to the jersey. Instead, another scar, more regret woven into the fabric of the national-team shirt. Forget mitigation in losing to world champions Argentina, England as good as beat themselves. Tuchel beat England.

This, however, was also a defeat that had been weeks in the making.

The head coach was picking at a mosquito bite when he, and we, noticed the blood on his fingertips during a chat at England’s Kansas City base. But for both Tuchel and the FA chiefs who appointed him at great expense to win a World Cup, the wounds are running far deeper now.

Thomas Tuchel was hired with the stated aim of adding a second star to England’s jersey

Instead he delivered a painful semi-final defeat against Argentina that was weeks in the making

Yes, he took them to a semi-final. Yes, there will be the memory of Mexico and the brotherhood forged. Yes, Tuchel deserves to carry on. But no, this was not the glorious failure that the results on paper may allow history to recall.

We can reveal there was a power outage at England’s team hotel three days before the Argentina game. In hindsight, it became an unfortunate metaphor. The final half-hour in Atlanta felt exactly the same. The lights simply went out. A white flag was raised.

But for those of us with England from day one at the Florida pre-camp, there were red flags from the start. It began with red faces. How did staff allow players such as Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson to get sunburnt? It was all laughed off, but it raised more serious questions over the planning we were assured was meticulous. Sunburn increases dehydration and muscle-injury risk – and these were the two midfielders expected to cover more ground than anyone.

A small example, perhaps, but together these missteps can lead to bigger problems. Take Tuchel not knowing if the first warm-up game in Tampa was being played indoors. That admission came after Daily Mail Sport showed him a picture of the suspect pitch that awaited. This was the first he was aware that the surface had only recently been laid.

‘OK, now I’m worried,’ he said, before asking for clarity on the venue.

England had spent years preparing for America, yet the manager did not know whether the first stadium even had a roof. That, surely, was the job of the FA’s performance and operations teams. Just like suncream. Just like getting the players’ boots and training equipment from Florida to Missouri.

The scene of devastation when logistics staff discovered they had been the victims of a robbery, before a competitive ball was kicked, was not the welcome to their Swope Soccer Village home that anyone at the FA had imagined. A smashed table-tennis table lay in the road next to a scattering of boots, balls, tactics boards – and a fluffy lion. It was a major security breach.

The van carrying England’s precious cargo had been entrusted to a third party to travel 1,400 miles across four states. But the drivers, later found to be two Afghans, had stolen $18,000 worth of goods. Most were recovered and ‘The Heist’, as the mayor of Kansas City referred to it, was a lucky escape. It could have been worse. We know of players who were making worried telephone calls wondering if their specially-tailored match boots were part of the loot. All was OK.

How did staff allow players such as Declan Rice to get sunburnt in Florida? It was laughed off, but it raised more serious questions over the planning we were assured was meticulous

England had a lucky mistake when $18,000 worth of kit was stolen on the way to Kansas City – fortunately, most of it was later recovered

To the backdrop of this, a highway gunman was on the loose after shooting at random cars and killing one person close to the team’s base. There was a noticeable increase in the police presence at the training centre and the protocol around media entering was changed. The suspect was found dead a week later.

With that, England’s players began exploring more the area around their Meadowbrook Park hotel. Marc Guehi went for a sunset bike ride every night. Dan Burn enjoyed a walk. You could hear Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford playing basketball, their whoops and hollers invading the lakeside tranquility.

Inside, a record player, where Harry Kane imparted his country music on others. Backgammon, Uno and Wolf were competitive but unifying. There were diving competitions, barbecues, specially-named smoothies – Thomas Toocool and Blukayo Saka – and visits from Ed Sheeran. Bike rides to the nearby Odyssey Coffee involved the likes of Bellingham, Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon. Tuchel liked to cycle for an ice cream.

Then there was golf, lots of golf. Tuchel even imitated a golf swing when sat next to Kane as the captain was asked what the players had been doing with their down-time. They played with Brooks Koepka and Tom Watson. A couple of the younger players wondered who the latter was, but there was instant respect when told of his eight majors.

There was one night, after victory over DR Congo in the last 32, when they exclusively booked the Top Golf facility in Kansas City. Such was the heat, Gordon – who is not a golfer – saw his club slip from his sweaty grip and crash into the corrugated metal roof, sending his team-mates scrambling for cover.

So England were happy here. It was the right choice of hotel and environment. But was it the right choice of location? No team at the tournament travelled more than England’s 14,500 miles. Their decision to return to base after every game meant more flights than any rival.

Argentina, who were also based in Kansas City but played two matches there, had travelled just 6,500 miles. In Atlanta, in the final 15 minutes, it showed. England looked like a team who had spent the past six weeks crossing America instead of conquering it.

In the days before Argentina, we are told that training was light in the extreme for some key players. They were, by now, physically and mentally exhausted. The one word that came back from those around the squad, when they saw their families and friends in the stands after Mexico and Norway, was ‘shattered’.

England’s players were shattered by the time they faced Argentina – with several key players unable to train properly in the days before the semi-final

Kobbie Mainoo was always the first player to leave the stadium after a game, alone and with headphones in

But after Argentina there was also anger. Some players, we are told, believe the tactical changes did not help the team. There was particular bafflement at the removal of scorer Gordon, especially as he had done so well in protecting a lead in Mexico. Those close to the squad have been questioning the manager in the hours since.

Tuchel is hugely popular among the majority of his players – he is funny and forthright – but this was a sour end. When the team left the Atlanta Stadium, none of them fancied a chat with the English media (several had fulfilled duties elsewhere). Almost to a man, hoods were up and faces hidden. Given Tuchel was stood questioning whether the DNA of his players does not allow them to be better on the ball, perhaps it was best that their ears were covered as they filed past.

Not every player has looked happy throughout, either. Kobbie Mainoo did not play a minute despite Rice’s fitness issues and Jordan Henderson’s injury. In the week before the second match, when Rice was starting to struggle, Mainoo played central midfield in training with Anderson. There was a feeling he was in line to feature, but Tuchel had not liked what he saw. After almost every match, Mainoo was the first player to leave the stadium, always alone and with headphones in.

Ollie Watkins had chats with Bellingham at the team hotel about his role as an impact sub, yet got a combined seven minutes to make that impact. That was six minutes more than Ivan Toney, who often wore a look of bemused indifference. Rashford’s mood noticeably dipped after he was dropped following the last 32 and played just one more minute.

These are the stresses and strains of a World Cup – and in the closing stages of the match that mattered most, England looked stressed and strained. That Tuchel put it back on his players is unlikely to go down well. He was, though, irritated with their performance for much of the tournament. It did not tally with what he saw on the training pitch.

To Jordan Pickford in the opening game versus Croatia: ‘Do what I tell you!’

To Anderson in the same game: ‘What the f*** Elliot?’

To Nico O’Reilly after two wasted throw-ins against Mexico: ‘That’s the second time!’

To Djed Spence in almost every match, expletive-laden instruction and correction.

Even the Mexico game, where Tuchel was proud at his team’s resilience, saw him displeased with a lack of quality in possession

Ollie Watkins (left) had chats with Bellingham at the team hotel about his role as an impact sub, yet got a combined seven minutes to make that impact

Even after Mexico, the 3-2 win in which he was fiercely proud of his team’s resilience, Tuchel had grumbled about the technical performance. But given the obstacles overcome, it felt as if some glaring deficiencies in team play were overlooked. It nearly cost them in the next match versus Norway, a barely-deserved 2-1 win rescued by the brilliance of Bellingham.

The Mexico experience had created a siege mentality – TV cameras missed assistant Anthony Barry flying into a ruck of opposition staff during one touchline row – and England, mistakenly, thought that collective spirit could carry them through. Tuchel had been furious when he was told of plans to change the kick-off time at the Azteca just 48 hours before the game. ’S***housery!’ he called it. ‘They’re f***ing the fans over!’

Henderson’s 36 hours in Mexico City had felt like the stuff of legend – a press-conference viagra joke that didn’t land, booked as an unused sub and then shattering his arm after falling over an advertising board during celebrations – but his calming presence in midfield against Argentina was needed.

When Tuchel returned to the Kansas City media centre in the days after Mexico, a DJ played Three Lions as he walked into the main building. The head coach did not seem amused and an FA staff member had a word with the turn-tabler. He was also overheard moaning to John McDermott, the FA’s technical director, about wanting to go back to the team hotel, seemingly to watch the football rather than keep on talking about it. Tournament irritations.

FA staff had been warned by senior Chelsea colleagues of Tuchel commanding a room with his aura but also becoming overbearing over time. Sources say that his confidence and conviction can be both a strength and weakness. But there were also small signs of his own insecurities.

After a sketchy 1-0 win over New Zealand on that equally sketchy pitch in Tampa, Tuchel ripped the washing instruction tags from his tracksuit top as he spoke to reporters. We noted at the time that he seemed agitated. He admitted, weeks later, that he was doubting himself following that game.

When he was told ahead of the final warm-up match that one of Costa Rica’s best players was missing to attend a wedding, Tuchel buried his head in his hands. What followed was an easy victory that gave a false impression of where England were at, at least as a cohesive, functioning unit.

That is why they then had to rely on individual moments of inspiration from Bellingham and Kane to get past Panama, DR Congo, Mexico and Norway. After the 2-1 win over DR Congo in the last 32, Tuchel asked us reporters: ‘Are you happy? You better be happy.’ But why? England were lucky and the performance spoke to issues that would later prove their undoing. The warnings signs were visible long before Argentina exposed them.

Tuchel was overheard at the Kansas City media centre moaning to John McDermott, the FA’s technical director, about wanting to go back to the team hotel

The German spoke about his team ‘pounding the rock’ – but in the end they hit a brick wall

Tuchel did bring us some sausage rolls this week and remarked: ‘Feed the animals and they will be kinder on full stomachs.’ He is likeable. He is still an elite coach. It is right that he stays on for the home Euros.

But there are huge learnings to be had. As the knockout rounds wore on, the German began using the catchphrase ‘pounding the rock’ with his players, made popular by NBA team San Antonio Spurs. It is about endurance and will. Come full-time in Atlanta, we were all left banging our heads against that rock at an opportunity missed.

Tuchel had spoken throughout this tournament about marginal gains. In the end, it was the margins that beat him. Every loose end was survivable on its own. Together, they and England’s World Cup unravelled. By the time Argentina applied real pressure, there was nothing left to hold it together.

The blood on Tuchel’s fingertips in Kansas City was an accident. The blood on England’s hands in Atlanta felt self-inflicted.