A professional lip reader has disclosed the full extent of Thomas Tuchel's furious touchline rant during England's Euro 2025 quarter-final clash with Norway, as the German manager delivered harsh home truths to his players during a hydration break.
Tuchel's Demands During the Water Break
England trailed 1-0 after Andreas Schjelderup's fortunate strike before Jude Bellingham's brace secured a 2-1 extra-time victory. However, Tuchel was far from satisfied with the first-half performance and used the hydration break to issue a stern warning.
Lip-reader Nicola Hickling, analyzing footage for the Daily Mail, revealed Tuchel's exact words: "Work harder. Go faster. You're so static. You're just standing. I need to tell you... Listen to the staff. We've got to fight for our positions. Listen to the staff. Keep the ball low. Less pushing, more focus on the ball. At corners, you've got to go right."
He also singled out Anthony Gordon: "Don't come from the front. Your best position is on the right - that's a fact. Every time you come from the front, the ball gets lost. Now listen: keep right, stay right."
Norway's Resurgence and England's Lucky Escape
Despite Tuchel's dressing-down, Norway emerged stronger after the interval. John Stones gave the ball away in the penalty area, nearly gifting Erling Haaland a chance before Jordan Pickford intervened. Haaland later had a close-range header, and Norway eventually scored through Schjelderup's cross-turned-shot.
Tuchel admitted after the match: "We were lucky. We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic, we're in the last four. It's amazing but I'm not happy with the performance. The commitment is there but we made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played. Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough."
Bellingham's Contrasting View
Jude Bellingham offered a different perspective. When asked if Tuchel's criticism was warranted, he said: "Maybe. But maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth."
Bellingham added: "That's not an easy team to play against. So, I think we've tried to create a positive environment. We should continue that going 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 1,000 passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we've done that again tonight."
Tuchel Clarifies His Comments
Tuchel later clarified his remarks, praising his players' effort while maintaining his coaching standards: "No one suggests that I'm not impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, the spirit, the belief. To overcome adversity and to dig in and to find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level. They cannot get enough praise for that. But I'm also a football coach and I think we can play better. There's no doubt I'm proud, and I'm happy and I feel so connected to this team because they just do whatever it takes."
England will now face Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday, July 15 at 8pm.
