FIFA WC: 'We were lucky enough...' Tuchel not happy with England's QF performance
Miami, July 12
England head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted he was not happy with his side's performance in their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final win over Norway, saying the team was "sloppy, lucky" and not good enough in "every sense".
Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the first half when his delivery from the left flew across Jordan Pickford's box and crashed off the far post before crossing the line. Bellingham showed a moment of individual quality to pull England level before he prodded home from close range in extra time to complete the Three Lions' comeback and put them into just their third World Cup semi-final since 1966.
"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," he told ITV Sport. "The result is fantastic, we're in the last four. It's amazing. I'm not happy with the performance. In every sense. The commitment is there but we made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played."
"Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough. We will get better, we need to get better. Now it's celebrations. Now it's taking it all in. We need everything to make a better performance," he added.
Bellingham seemed a little annoyed by what Tuchel said about the team's performance. When a reporter asked him about it, he brushed it off by saying: "Yeah, well, Whatever."
He added, "It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there."
While Tuchel wasn't happy about the team's match performance, captain Harry Kane believes the team can take this as motivation to improve.
"He just said there in the changing room, massive congratulations, we should enjoy it and celebrate, but he knows we can do better. In a way, that's a good thing. If we are in the semi-finals of a World Cup and knowing we can still improve and find another level, we have to take that as a positive. We can be better with the ball in possession. We have a couple of big games ahead," he said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who follows both cricket and football, I think Tuchel is spot on. England were lucky against Norway. That first goal from Schjelderup was clinical - if a team like France or Brazil plays like that, England will be knocked out. Bellingham saved them today. Reminds me of how our cricket team sometimes scrapes through against minnows.
Typical Tuchel - never satisfied! 😅 But that's what makes him a world-class manager. In India, we've seen coaches who just blame the pitch or weather after a loss. Here's a coach saying they weren't good enough after a WIN. Respect. Bellingham should listen to him - individual brilliance can't always save the team. England need structure.
Interesting dynamic between Tuchel and Bellingham. The coach wants perfection, but the player feels attacked after a match-winning performance. In Indian corporate culture, we call this "constructive feedback" - hard to digest but necessary for growth. Kane's maturity shows why he's captain. I hope England improve because this World Cup is wide open!
As an American living in India, I find this fascinating. Tuchel's approach is very European - direct and critical. Indian sports fans are more used to positive reinforcement like "we'll learn from this." But honestly? Both approaches have merit. England got the result but need to fix their game. Bellingham was brilliant though - what a player!
A small critique: Tuchel praising the result but criticizing the performance seems a bit contradictory to me. You can't
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