Thomas Tuchel has admitted England were far from their best despite edging Norway to reach the World Cup semi-finals, describing the Three Lions’ display as “sloppy, lucky” and below the required standard “in every sense.”
England secured a hard-fought comeback victory after extra time, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to send the Three Lions into only their third World Cup semi-final since 1966. However, the result masked an uncomfortable performance in which Norway dominated large spells of the contest.
The Scandinavians had a second goal ruled out after Erling Haaland was adjudged to have committed a foul in the build-up, while Kristoffer Ajer also struck the crossbar as England struggled to contain their opponents.
Reflecting on the match, Tuchel made it clear he was pleased with the outcome but deeply disappointed with the display.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four. It’s amazing. I’m not happy with the performance.
“In every sense. 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.
“We will get better, we need to get better. Now it’s celebrations. Now it’s taking it all in. We need everything to make a better performance.”
Tuchel’s assessment appeared to draw a subtle response from Bellingham when the midfielder was informed of his manager’s comments.
“Yeah, well. Whatever.”
The Real Madrid star defended the efforts of his teammates, insisting England deserved credit for overcoming a dangerous Norwegian side in difficult conditions.
“It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there.
“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. 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 a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight.”
When asked whether he agreed with Tuchel’s claim that England had been fortunate, Bellingham declined to be drawn into the debate.
“No comment.”
Responding to Bellingham’s remarks, Tuchel stressed that he had no issue with his players’ effort or determination, insisting his criticism was purely football-related.
“Absolutely, no one disputes that. I am impressed with the shift that they put in.
“The effort, team spirit, the belief and to overcome adversity and to dig in and 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. In general, I think it was not a high-level game. I think we had better games in general.”
The England manager added that while the team deserved praise for finding a way through, there remained significant room for improvement.
“We had a lot of momentum swings for both teams, so, yeah, full credit to the team. We found a way. We’re in the last four.
“This is, of course, the most important but the analysing head of me and the football coach in me still thinks that we can and have to play better football.”
England battled through sweltering conditions in Miami, where “feels-like” temperatures reportedly exceeded 40°C.
Despite the difficult environment, Tuchel dismissed any suggestion that his side’s performance reflected a weakness in mentality.
“Mentality? This [getting through] is pure mentality now. How can you talk about mentality now? This is pure mentality.
“It’s not a mentality problem. You can bottle it up and sell it. Why are you talking about mentality?”
