4 min readJul 15, 2026 11:48 AM IST
England’s quarterfinal win over Norway at the FIFA World Cup 2026 may have been inspired by Jude Bellingham’s match-winning brace, but the performance has been remembered for the wrong reasons.
In a game where England were largely outplayed, Bellingham’s two goals helped them overturn a 1-0 deficit by the 40th minute. The Three Lions, however, failed to impress their manager Thomas Tuchel, who was critical of the quality and technical level of the display.
“We made life very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough. We were lucky today,” Tuchel said after the match.
“It’s a pure mentality thing; there was no mentality problem. You could bottle it up and sell it. It’s the quality of our games. It’s nothing to do with mentality; it’s about quality. We need to play better,” he added.
When Bellingham was asked about his manager’s criticism, he offered a terse response: “Maybe he doesn’t really know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard… That’s not an easy team to play against. We have tried to create a positive environment and we should continue that going into the final four. Can’t speak highly enough for the lads. You’re not going to win every game making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty. We did that tonight.”
Former Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović believes the full context of Tuchel’s criticism may not have been accurately presented to Bellingham, suggesting the England midfielder’s response was shaped by incomplete information.
“I think it’s misinformation, because if Jude would have seen the interview with Tuchel, he would have answered differently… 100%,” Ibrahimović said on FOX Sports.
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French legend Thierry Henry agreed with Zlatan’s take but downplayed the significance of the exchange, insisting there are no issues within the England camp. He urged that attention should shift to the semifinal against Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday.
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“Nothing has changed for me,” Henry said. “We need to talk about the game. That’s the most important thing. What animosity? There is no animosity in there. There is nothing in there. And I agree with Zlatan. He didn’t know how it was phrased to Tuchel. That’s about it. I’ll leave it there. They’re playing well in the way that they want to play. They’re fighting and coming back. We’ll think about the style later on.”
Former USMNT international Alexi Lalas had no issue with the back-and-forth and saw it as a healthy dynamic between manager and player.
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“I don’t think it’s a problem. I actually love it,” Lalas said. “I think it’s important for Tuchel to do something a little different in terms of the way that he reacted and make sure that the players know that they have plenty of work to do, and that they can and must get better if they ever hope to have it coming home.”
Lalas also praised Bellingham’s response. “I love the fact that Jude stood up for himself and stood up for his teammates. So, I don’t think the dynamic changes. I still think that they respect each other, even though they disagree with each other, maybe in this instance.”
England face Argentina on Wednesday for a place in the final, where Spain await.
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