Tuchel slams England despite World Cup semifinal spot: 'We made it so difficult for ourselves'

Thomas Tuchel did not hold back his frustration with England's performance, even after the Three Lions booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. A brace from Jude Bellingham saw off Norway in the quarterfinal, but the German manager described the win as a lucky escape. "The result is fantastic — we're in the last four — but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel said. "We made it so difficult for ourselves. We were careless, made too many technical errors, lacked speed and consistency." He insisted the issue was not about mentality. "The character is there — we could bottle it and sell it. That's what got us through. But the quality has to be better." Tuchel singled out Reece James, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze and Djed Spence for praise, saying they raised the team's energy. On Bellingham, he added: "He does this every game. World-class." Looking ahead to the semifinal, the manager promised improvement. "We have three days. We'll need everything we've got."