Thomas Tuchel demanded more fight and work ethic from his England stars during an explosive mid-game rant against Norway, according to an expert lip-reader.
England had been largely on top but carved out precious few chances during the opening quarter of their World Cup quarter-final.
Nico O’Reilly turned a shot wide from close range after a blistering cross from Noni Madueke, but other than that, the Three Lions had little to show for going into the first hydration break.
And Tuchel used that stoppage as a chance to lay into his players, reminding them of some harsh truths about knockout football.
‘Work harder. Go faster. You’re so static. You’re just standing,’ he said, lip-reader Nicola Hickling told Daily Mail Sport via Covers.
‘I need to tell you… listen to the staff.
Thomas Tuchel gave his players impassioned instructions during the first hydration break
He told his players to fight more and work harder during the first hydration break, according to an expert lip-reader
‘We’ve got to fight for our positions. Listen to the staff. Keep the ball low. Less pushing, more focus on the ball.
‘At corners, you’ve got to go right. Don’t come from the front (directed at Gordon 18). Your best position is on the right – that’s a fact. Every time you come from the front, the ball gets lost. Now listen: keep right, stay right.
‘I need power from everybody. This is your last chance. If we lose this, we’re out. Come on, let’s go!’
Tuchel’s fiery messaging has proved to be a useful tool throughout this tournament – but it didn’t have the immediate intended consequence on this occasion.
Within minutes, John Stones lost possession in the England penalty area, almost springing a chance for Erling Haaland, but Jordan Pickford came flying out to salvage the ball.
Shortly after, Haaland had a header at goal, and when England tried to counter, Harry Kane lost the ball, leading to Andreas Schjelderup’s opening goal.
But England kept the fire in their belly and got their reward on the stroke of half-time as Jude Bellingham finished a brilliant counter-attack to level the scores.
They retained that determination to the very end, with Bellingham adding a second in extra-time before England locked out any hopes of a Norwegian comeback.
Jude Bellingham was England’s hero once again as his brace fired them into the semi-finals
He was clever to follow in a long-range strike and reacted quickest when the ball was spilled for the winning goal
Even so, Tuchel wasn’t particularly happy with what he had seen as England often appeared to wilt in the searing Floridian heat.
‘We were lucky,’ he told ITV. ‘We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. ‘The result is fantastic, we’re in the last four. It’s amazing (but) I’m not happy with the performance.’
‘In every sense,’ Tuchel said when asked what he was unimpressed with from his men. ‘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.’
Bellingham appeared to be singing from a different hymn sheet.
‘Maybe,’ he said when asked if the criticism was justified. ‘But maybe he (Tuchel) doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth. That’s not an easy team to play against.
‘So, I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment. We should continue that going into the final four. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game, popping the ball and making 1,000 passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight.’
Tuchel was quick to play peacemaker when informed of his talisman’s comments.
‘No one suggests that I’m not impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, the spirit, the belief,’ he said.
Andreas Schjelderup stunned England by scoring a stunning opening goal from long distance
Jordan Pickford could only watch as Schjelderup’s cross clipped the post and flew into the net
Bellingham was surrounded by four Norway players but found the net brilliantly to make it 1-1
England fans across the country, both in the US and in England, celebrated Bellingham’s goals
‘To overcome adversity and to dig in and to find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level. They cannot get enough praise for that. But I’m also a football coach and I think we can play better.’
Tuchel also hailed his side’s resilience, and added for good measure that he was ‘in love’ with his charges.
‘There’s no doubt I’m proud, and I’m happy and I feel so connected to this team because they just do whatever it takes,’ he said.
How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE
