England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed he held a team meeting to clear the air following the fallout from the Three Lions’ dramatic World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway.
The aftermath of England’s 2-1 extra-time win in Miami centred on Tuchel’s public criticism of his side’s performance and Jude Bellingham’s response, with the midfielder suggesting his manager could not fully appreciate the demands of playing in the heat and humidity.
With England preparing to face defending champions Argentina in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, Tuchel was determined to put the issue behind the squad.
“I spoke to the whole team, we debriefed,” Tuchel said.
“I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message.”
The England boss explained that Sunday’s meeting was designed to close the chapter on Norway and ensure the squad’s attention was fixed on the biggest game of the tournament so far.
“I explained it again on Sunday evening to just move on forward,” Tuchel said.
“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 also dismissed suggestions of a disagreement with Bellingham. He insisted both shared the same competitive mindset despite their contrasting public comments after the quarter-final.
“I think we come from the same place,” Tuchel said.
“Our comments come from the same place from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on.”
The German later told talkSPORT that he and Bellingham are now “more close than ever before”, while insisting there were no divisions inside the England camp.
Tuchel defended the midfielder’s emotional response, pointing to the physical toll of playing 120 minutes before facing the media.
“What do you expect of a player that just gave everything and stands there in front of a microphone in a flash interview?” he said.
“It’s just what it is. We’re as close as ever. The energy and mentality in camp is excellent in the last days and we are ready to go for it tomorrow.”
The England manager stressed that his post-match assessment had praised Bellingham’s decisive contribution as much as it criticised aspects of the team’s display.
“I called him a world-class player,” Tuchel said.
“I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team.”
Looking ahead, Tuchel acknowledged Argentina’s experience and resilience, describing the world champions as a side “fuelled by history”.
“They have this kind of edge,” he said.
“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.”
England will now hope that unity inside the camp translates into another strong performance as they bid to reach only their second World Cup final.
