Jude Bellingham had a pointed message for his manager after England's World Cup quarter-final win over Norway: “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa, Alexander Sorloth.” The two-goal hero's riposte came after Thomas Tuchel told TV viewers that England “got lucky” and were “sloppy” in their 2-1 extra-time victory. But captain Harry Kane stepped in to calm the waters, insisting the head coach is simply “trying to drag it out of us”.
Tuchel's frustration was plain after the match in Miami, where England needed a Bellingham double to come from behind and set up a semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. “We can play better,” Tuchel said. Kane agrees: “We know ourselves we have another level that we can reach. We haven’t seen that yet, we’ve shown it in glimpses.” The 32-year-old, who has scored six goals in the tournament, stressed the positives: “The most pleasing thing is we are in a semi-final and still feel we can improve.”
“Kane defends Tuchel after Bellingham clash; England face Argentina in World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.”
The squad will need that improvement against Lionel Messi's Argentina, whom Messi described as a “powerhouse” ahead of what he called a “special” first meeting. England have reached back-to-back European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semi-final, but Kane acknowledged the task: “We’ll be playing against one of the best teams in the world.”
Midfielder Declan Rice, an injury doubt after being substituted at half-time against Norway, spent nearly three days in bed before that game, Tuchel revealed. Despite the fitness concerns and the public disagreement, Kane remains focused: “We’re knocking on the door. We’re going to need an even bigger push now.”