Tuchel clarifies Norway comments with England squad ahead of Argentina semi-final
Thomas Tuchel, the England manager, held a meeting with his players on Sunday night to address the aftermath of their Norway quarter-final match. The discussion aimed to clear the air following comments made by Tuchel and Jude Bellingham after England’s 2-1 victory in Miami.
The quarter-final win was followed by Tuchel’s critique of the team’s performance, which prompted a response from Bellingham. With England preparing to face Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday, Tuchel sought to move past the Norway game and focus the squad’s attention on the upcoming challenge.
Before the semi-final, Tuchel emphasised that he had no issues with Bellingham’s post-match remarks, stating that both he and Bellingham share a similar competitive mindset. He noted, “I think we come from the same place. Our comments come from the same place from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on.”
Bellingham’s earlier comments suggested that Tuchel might not fully understand the challenges of playing in the heat and humidity against Norway. Tuchel subsequently aimed to reinforce a positive message to the squad and redirect their focus towards the Wednesday match. His initial criticisms of certain aspects of the performance were also accompanied by praise for the team’s mentality and effort.
“I spoke to the whole team, we debriefed,” Tuchel confirmed. “I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message.”
Clearing the Air with Bellingham
Tuchel later mentioned to talkSPORT that his relationship with Bellingham is now “more close than ever before” following the recent events. The England head coach defended Bellingham’s comments, attributing the situation to “people try(ing) to create misunderstandings and cracks where no cracks are.” He highlighted Bellingham’s exhaustion when he conducted his post-match media duties.
“What do you expect of a player that just gave everything and stands there in front of a microphone in a flash interview?” Tuchel questioned. “It’s just what it is but we’re as close as ever, and close more than ever before. You can see that on the field. The energy and mentality in camp is excellent in the last days and we are ready to go for it tomorrow.”
England returned to Kansas City late on Saturday night. After a recovery day on Sunday, Tuchel’s objective was to shift the team’s focus from the Norway match to the upcoming game against Argentina. “I explained it again on Sunday evening to just move on forward,” Tuchel stated. “And then we straight away in the talk put on a new direction, put on a new head: which is the semi-final and Argentina.”
Tuchel contextualised Bellingham’s comments from Saturday night by pointing to his physical exhaustion. He also reiterated the positive aspects of his own post-match statements. “(Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side, often with a critique of my side,” Tuchel said regarding the midfielder’s comments. “I called him a world-class player, I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team. All of that was not part of the question. I get it.”
Tuchel believes Bellingham’s response was an instinctive reaction to being questioned about the negative elements of the manager’s comments. “So Bellingham was confronted with, ‘What do you think, the coach said you were sloppy?’. Of course, I would maybe also bite back when I come from 120 minutes, scored two goals, gave literally everything that is in my body. It’s just a very normal thing, a very normal reaction for a player of his mindset.”
Focus on Argentina
The England squad features several players who were active in the quarter-final. Declan Rice and Noni Madueke started for the Three Lions against Norway. Bukayo Saka and Ebere Eze were introduced during the match. Martin Odegaard captained Norway, who took the lead in the 36th minute when Odegaard assisted Andreas Schjelderup’s goal.
Bellingham equalised just before half-time with a solo effort. Rice was substituted at the break due to illness. Saka replaced Madueke on the right wing. After Norway had a goal disallowed and hit the bar, the match proceeded to extra time. Bellingham then scored the winning goal for England, securing their place in the semi-final against Argentina.
The winner of the England versus Argentina semi-final will face either William Saliba’s France or Spain in the final. Spain advanced to the semi-finals after late goals from Mikel Merino against Portugal in the round of 16 and Belgium in the quarter-finals. Despite Odegaard’s and Leandro Trossard’s teams being eliminated at the quarter-final stage, a significant number of players originally selected for the finals remain in contention for the trophy.
Tuchel acknowledged that semi-final opponents Argentina are “fuelled by history” but asserted that England can also play with emotion. “They have this kind of edge,” Tuchel observed. “You can sense it when they’re going a goal down, and when matches are tight. They’re a tough team to beat.”
He noted that Argentina has largely the same group of players as four years ago, highlighting their cohesion and sacrifice. “They don’t panic when they’re behind. They believe in their style. And their style is a very emotional style. It was in Qatar and it is now.”
Tuchel concluded, “And of course, they are fuelled by history, it means a lot to them. But we are also emotional, we have the grit, we have the mentality that it takes to go up against it. And we are ready for it.” The semi-final match against Argentina is scheduled for Wednesday.
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Source: nytimes.com