Thomas Tuchel has admitted he was not satisfied with England’s performance in their World Cup quarter-final win over Norway. The three Lions admitted they were “sloppy and lucky” and not good enough “in every way.”
However, England’s match-winner Jude Bellingham appeared to be in a bit of awe of Tuchel’s comments, replying: “Yeah, well, whatever.”
England once again put the nation to the test with a come-from-behind victory that went into overtime. After falling behind, Bellingham’s double sent the Three Lions into their third World Cup semi-final since 1966. But there was more to it than that.
Norway dominated the second half, having their second goal disallowed due to an Erling Haaland foul before hitting the bar through Kristoffer Ajer. Tuchel was unimpressed.
“We have made life very difficult for ourselves today,” he said. ITV Sports. “The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It is amazing. I am not happy with the performance.
England struggled for a long time to win the World Cup quarterfinals.
“In every sense of the word. The commitment is there, but the way we play, the way we play, has made our lives very, very difficult. The sloppyness, the tactical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We’ve been lucky enough.
“We’re going to be better. We have to be better. It’s a celebration now. We’re taking it all in. We need everything to do better.”
Bellingham had a slightly pointed response to Tuchel’s comments.
Explaining the players’ perspective, Bellingham added: “It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players are having a tough shift, so my thoughts and thanks go to the guys who had a good shift.”
England were playing in the intense heat of Miami, with temperatures reported to be over 40C. And while Tuchel was unimpressed with the performance, he refuted claims that this was down to a lack of mentality.
“trial?” said a shocked Tuchel. “This is the pure spirit now. How can you talk about the spirit now? This is the pure spirit.
“It’s not a question of mentality. Just bottle it and sell it. Why are we talking about mentality?
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Sky Sports News’ Kabe Solhekol analyzes England’s thrilling 2-1 win over Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals.
“It’s the quality of our game (that’s the problem). We have to play better.”
Asked about Tuchel’s complaints, captain Harry Kane said: “He just said this in the dressing room: I really congratulate you. You should enjoy it and celebrate.”
“I think there are still parts of us that know we can do better. In a way, that’s a good thing. If we can get to the World Cup semi-finals and still improve, you can’t help but take that as a positive.”
“We had the most important ingredients as a team. If we can start moving a little better with the ball, we could have a good few games going forward.”
Neville: Self-respect is good for Britain
Jude Bellingham once again rescued victory for England.
Gary Neville of Sky Sports on ITV:
“That’s why England brought in Thomas Tuchel, a manager who doesn’t just accept winning the World Cup quarter-finals. He wants more.”
“What they did was they took him too close to the edge, which is what Messi wanted to do. You saw him crying not too long ago when they took him too close to the edge.
“Here goes Tuchel. Why are you making me do this? You’re better than that. We’re at a higher level. It’s great to see. I love both interviews. Thomas Tuchel’s interview was fantastic. Jude Bellingham’s reaction was really great.
“We haven’t looked like a collective unit since the start of the tournament in terms of holding the unit together and the rhythm of our passing. All we’ve had is one or two outstanding players in Bellingham and Kane.
“What you see in those two interviews is huge egos, world-class players and managers. To do what those two guys have achieved, you have to be outstanding.
“I’ve never seen that level of nervousness from an England player in five tournaments. Apart from Terry Venables and Paul Ince going at each other at half-time in the European Championships, I’ve never seen a manager challenge a player or a player challenge a manager. It was really good. What we saw was a very good thing for England.
“I saw Paul Gascoigne go out there in a tournament and tear it up, Michael Owen did the same, Wayne Rooney did it in 2004.
“But I’ve never seen a player impact a tournament as much as Jude Bellingham.
“What we are seeing is something very special. An absolute superstar. He is giving everything and more for England.”
England’s path to the World Cup final
England’s path to World Cup glory is now very clear.
Argentina or Switzerland are awaiting a place in the semi-finals before facing France or Spain, their possible World Cup final opponents.
Wednesday July 15: England v. Argentina or SwissAtlanta – Kick-off 8pm (BST)
Sunday July 19: England v. France/SpainNew Jersey – Kick-off at 8pm BST
