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England’s win over Norway didn’t come without post-match controversy for the Three Lions.
Star midfielder Jude Bellingham scored twice to give England a 2-1 win in extra time that sent them to the World Cup semifinals for the fourth time ever. After the match, during an on-field interview, head coach Thomas Tuchel pointed out that his team could have been much better.
“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said in a post-match interview on FOX Sports. “The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but not happy with the performance … in every sense.”
Bellingham, who scored both of England’s goals to bring his tally for the tournament up to six, seemed to disagree with his coach’s critique after England prevailed in the heat and humidity of South Florida, with temperatures reaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) at the start of warmups.
“Well, whatever,” Bellingham said, shaking his head. “It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there who put in a great shift.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham said, mentioning the top talent of Norway, incuding Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Alexander Sørloth.
“I think it would probably catch you a little off-guard,” former World Cup defender Walk Zimmerman told us for the comments and Bellingham’s response. “That’s the kind of thing that would fly, I think, at the club level when you’re playing game in, game out. For a knockout tournament, I think the most important thing is that you can say we didn’t play well, then you immediately acknowledge, ‘We won, we’re moving on. We’re going to enjoy this today and look at what we can do better.’”
Former U.S. men’s national team coach and FOX Sports analyst Bob Bradley downplayed the impact of Tuchel’s comments, which struck a chord with Bellingham.
“I don’t think it’s anything,” Bradley said, calling the comments “postgame emotions.”
“Tuchel, like a lot of us, is never satisfied and always demanding,” Bradley told us. “Bellingham represents the players and the effort against a good team.”
Thierry Henry also seemed confused by the line of questioning from the interviewer in FOX’s postgame.
“I didn’t understand the questions,” Henry said. “The guy is telling you it was all effort and mentality – and you’re asking about mentality. He was talkinga bout the technical aspect of the game. […] He wasn’t happy with the speed, he wasn’t happy about it. That’s why he changed stuff right away. You don’t even need to ask that question. If he’s changing stuff, it’s because he’s not happy with what’s on the field.”
Tuchel clarified in his news conference that he was “proud and happy” with how his squad has overcome adversity, but added, “I’m also a football coach and I also have demands. … I think we can play faster. I think we can play more clinically.”
Bellingham added, “The game is split into loads of different facets. Some of it is technical, tactical. For me, the biggest one is psychological and how you can manage setbacks, how you can manage adversity. This team showed yet again that they can do it, and that’s a really valuable skill and trait to have.”
Former U.S. national team midfielder and FOX Sports analyst Sacha Kljestan believes the comments won’t affect England as it approaches a semifinal matchup with reigning champion Argentina.
“I don’t think it’s a very big deal,” Kljestan told us. “He was clearly exhausted after putting in a huge effort. Maybe after watching the game back, he will see that England was a little sloppy on the day. He has a right to say what he said, and I don’t think it should be a big thing.”
“Ultimately, I think it’s a non-story, honestly,” Zimmerman added. “That’s going to be totally fine in the locker room. Neither of them are going to be thinking twice about it.”
Alexi Lalas appreciated Tuchel’s approach as well, noting that it’s more about perception than any sort of “bristling” between media and coach on the most recent episode of State Of The Union.
“Tuchel’s response was as German as I’ve seen him in this moment, and I think it was by design,” Lalas said. “I think Thomas Tuchel recognizes that in order for this England team to get over this hump and do things we haven’t seen before, he has to treat not just the team but the extended team, the fanbase, in a different way. Because in that moment you’d expect Thomas Tuchel or most coaches to extoll the virtues of what they just say, ‘hey it’s a hard fought game.’ […] He’s zigging while everyone else is zagging. I’m here for it.”
On Bellingham’s comments, Lalas had more to say.
“I also love the fact that Jude Bellingham in this moment recognized that, ‘well that’s my coach saying this, but we are going to celebrate this and sing while you’re winning.'”
“This team is endearing,” Lalas added.
Next up for England is a semifinal round matchup against Argentina on Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET on FOX and streaming on FOX One). It’s the latest in a long history between Argentina and England, one built on ghosts, thorns and legends.
“Thomas Tuchel can rain all day long on the parade,” Lalas continued. “And I think it’s done strategically, and I think it’s smart, but I also like the fact that there was pushback from his players that this was not easy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
