Jude Bellingham has doubled down on his disagreement with England manager Thomas Tuchel, suggesting that the German coach 'doesn't know' how difficult their World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway was. The 23-year-old scored both goals in a 2-1 extra-time win in Miami, played in scorching heat and high humidity.
Tuchel's Criticism
After the match, Tuchel did not mince words. 'We got lucky,' he said. 'We made life very, very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It's amazing but [I am] not happy with the performance - in every sense. We made life difficult for us in the way we played and how we played - sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough.'
Bellingham's Response
In an interview with ITV, Bellingham dismissed those comments and defended his team-mates. He then doubled down during a separate chat with journalists at Hard Rock Stadium. 'Maybe he [Tuchel] doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth,' Bellingham said. 'They're not an easy team to play against. I can't speak highly enough of the lads. You can't win every game popping the ball and making 1,000 passes, sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that today.'
Performance Concerns
England have been criticised for their performances since the opening game, particularly defensively. But it was the toothless attack that stood out against Norway, who were more threatening over 120 minutes. Tuchel insisted he still loves his team but expects more. 'There is no disconnect from me to my team. With my heart, I am fully in love with my players and my team, but we can play better, there are a lot of things to do better,' he said.
Upcoming Semi-Final
England will now face reigning champions Argentina in a mouth-watering semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday (kick-off 8pm UK time). The winner will take on either France or Spain, who meet in Dallas at the same time on Tuesday.
