England coach not satisfied with the performance but spiky Bellingham defends team
Thomas Tuchel has warned that England must improve despite reaching the World Cup semi-finals after Jude Bellingham’s two goals secured a 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in Miami.
England recovered from Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half opener to book a meeting with Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. Bellingham equalised before half-time and scored the winner early in extra time as England reached the last four for the second time in three World Cups.
Tuchel welcomed the result but said his side had fallen short of the standards required to challenge for the trophy.
“The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four, it’s amazing, but not happy with the performance,” Tuchel said. “Again, the commitment is there, but we made life very very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played – sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough – we were lucky today.”
Bellingham, however, defended England’s display after the match, pointing to the quality of the opposition and the difficult conditions in south Florida.
“Yeah well, whatever,” the goalscorer said when told of Tuchel’s assessment. “It’s a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who’ve put a tough shift out there.”
Asked later whether Tuchel’s criticism reflected the standards expected of the team, Bellingham said: “Maybe. Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in these types of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth, you know. That’s not an easy team to play against.
“We’ve tried to create a positive environment, and we should continue that into the final four. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes, you have to win dirty.”
England had to overcome Norway as well as temperatures of 33℃ during the afternoon in Miami. Bellingham cancelled out Schjelderup’s opener in first-half stoppage time before scoring again three minutes into extra time. Harry Kane and Torbjørn Heggem both had goals ruled out, while England also saw a penalty overturned after a video review.
Tuchel later clarified that his criticism of the performance did not reflect any lack of faith in his players.
“My heart, there is no doubt, I am proud and happy, and I feel so connected to this team because they just do whatever it takes to take the next step,” he said. “They just refuse to lose. They overcome obstacles and adversity.
“But I am also a football coach, and I also have demands and, of course, we want to bring out the best in us and our performance because a top performance helps you win games. So, the head of mine is not fully satisfied and not 100% happy with the way we played, and I stand by it. I think we can play faster, more clinical. We had too many unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game that cost us a lot of belief.”
He added: “A lot of things we can do better, which is not a problem, but no disconnect from me to my team, not 1%. I am full with my heart and fully in love with my players and my team and the way they perform.”
Bellingham’s sixth and seventh goals of the tournament drew him level with Harry Kane on six before his second took him clear, leaving only Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi ahead of him in the scoring charts as England prepare to face Argentina for a place in the World Cup final.
