A victory for the Three Lions would have secured the country just their second ever appearance at the World Cup final but, after going 1-0 against Argentina, England turned defensive and collapsed.
England became passive and allowed the momentum of the game to turn, a decision that many believe should cost Tuchel his job as the tournament comes to a close.
The German, who signed a contract through to 2028 ahead of the tournament, has now been backed by Barnes who says that fans should have expected such an approach.
"We were 1-0 up in a tournament where we’re never going to dominate possession against, or outplay, anyone," Barnes told Betfred. "We were 1-0 up, so why should we make attacking substitutions because if he did that and we went on and lost, then people would be asking why he did that. He did exactly the right thing.
"It didn’t go wrong. We’re number four in the world, so we should finish third or fourth, which is where we’re going to be. I don’t know why we expected anything different."
"When you have a manager like Thomas Tuchel, you know what you’re going to get. You’re going to be pragmatic, strong, disciplined and resilient. We’re not going to outplay teams, but instead we beat teams with our strength. Against Argentina we went 1-0 and every decision Thomas Tuchel made was the right decision. He responded to what was going on in front of him."
Whether Tuchel will stay is yet to be seen, but England will be tested once more as they face France this weekend as they try to finish 3rd at the World Cup.