Jude Bellingham hit back at boss Thomas Tuchel’s scathing assessment of England’s performance in their 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win over Norway and stressed the positives.
Bellingham was the star of the show with two goals as England overcame a blistering Miami heat from behind, earning his fourth man of the match award in six games.
Tuchel’s side struggled against the Scandinavians, eventually needing extra time to reach their fourth World Cup semi-final, and the German said he was “not happy with the performance.”
The Real Madrid star did not accept it and challenged his manager’s approach.
“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play against Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Alexander Sørloth in those kinds of conditions.
“It’s not an easy team to play against.
“So, I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment.
We should continue to go to the final four. I can’t speak highly enough about the boys.
“You’re not going to win every game by popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Occasionally you have to win dirty, and we did that again tonight.”
Asked if he agreed with Tuchel’s assessment that England were lucky, he replied: “No comment.”
Tuchel responded to Bellingham’s comments and insisted there was no disconnect between him and the players.
“Absolutely, no one disputes that. I’m impressed with the turnaround they’ve put in,” he said, referring to playing in the scorching heat.
“The effort, team spirit, belief and determination to overcome adversity and find ways to win are at an all-time high.”
But I’m also a football coach and I think we can play better.
“In general, I think it wasn’t a high-level game. I think we had better games in general.”
He continued: “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.
“Of course, that’s the most important thing, but the analytical head of football, the coach in me, still thinks we can play better football and have to play it.”
“My heart, no doubt about it, I’m proud and happy and I feel very connected to this team as they do whatever it takes to take the next step.
There are a lot of things we can do better, which is fine, and I feel completely aligned with my team. I am full of heart and completely in love with my players and my team and with their performance.”
Bellingham tied Harry Kane with six goals for the tournament, almost single-handedly leading his team to a second straight brace.
The 23-year-old said it was beyond his wildest dreams to star on such a big stage, but he is ready to share the accolades.
“Yeah, maybe a little further, to be honest,” he said. “I’m a confident guy, but I don’t think you sleep at night dreaming of games like these.”
“So, it was nice to make an impact and help my team. But my God, the effort those guys put in was incredible.
“I’m very proud of how they keep fighting, regardless of the situations we find ourselves in.
“They can be really proud, and I know they are. And I’ll make sure they feel the same way.”
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