In the quiet weeks after a World Cup semi-final that slipped away in the final minutes, England's squad sat down with their head coach to say aloud what many had carried silently since the summer. Their disappointment centred on a question that sport has always struggled to settle: whether caution in the closing stages protects a lead or quietly surrenders the initiative. The coach placed the blame on the quality of the opposition, while the players held to a belief in their own equal strength, and each side saw part of the truth. The review offered a place for those competing claims to be hea
Kane and Bellingham Press Their Case in England's Post-World Cup Squad Review
Man for man, England believe they were superior to Argentina
Mark
Why does a meeting about a match from July matter now?
Mimi
Because the unhappiness didn't fade over the summer. Some players felt it grow, mainly over how Tuchel told them to see out the game after Gordon scored in the 55th minute.
Mark
What exactly was the complaint?
Mimi
That the closing approach was too negative and defensive. Fernandez equalised with five minutes left, and Martinez scored in stoppage time.
Luke
To be clear, that's what senior players are said to have felt. The reporting says it's understood, not that anyone has gone on record.
Mark
And Tuchel's answer?
Mimi
That Argentina's quality told. Messi was playing, after all.
Luke
The players didn't fully buy that. But 'man-for-man superior' is a view held in the squad, not an established fact. And England also dropped deep against Mexico and it worked.
Mark
What does it say about Kane and Bellingham?
Mimi
Kane was forthright, as you'd expect. Bellingham was reportedly especially candid, and the piece links that to a growing influence and a possible future captaincy.
Luke
That captaincy point is what 'many believe', not anything announced.
Mark
Is the recovery real?
Mimi
The results back it. Twelve goals scored and none conceded in three games against the Czech Republic and Croatia, after the loss to Spain.
Luke
Those are two beatable opponents on paper. Spain in Madrid on Sunday is the better test, and we don't yet know if the meeting caused the improvement.
O Pulso
- A single late-game decision after Anthony Gordon's goal has left a squad divided over whether England were too cautious against Argentina.
- Two late Argentine goals, one from Enzo Fernandez and a stoppage-time winner from Lautaro Martinez, turned a lead into a bitter defeat that lingered through the summer.
- Players aired their grievances in a candid squad meeting with Thomas Tuchel as part of the Football Association's review, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham speaking forcefully.
- Recent results, including three impressive wins and twelve goals without reply, suggest the squad has moved past the dispute and the Tuchel-Bellingham relationship has steadied.
- Croatia at home and Spain in Madrid will test whether this recovery holds against elite opposition.
In the quiet weeks after a World Cup semi-final that slipped away in the final minutes, England's squad sat down with their head coach to say aloud what many had carried silently since the summer. Their disappointment centred on a question that sport has always struggled to settle: whether caution in the closing stages protects a lead or quietly surrenders the initiative. The coach placed the blame on the quality of the opposition, while the players held to a belief in their own equal strength, and each side saw part of the truth. The review offered a place for those competing claims to be heard, and the team now appears to be moving forward, with the next matches waiting to show whether the air has truly cleared.
England's players spoke bluntly about their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina during a team meeting with head coach Thomas Tuchel at the start of the September international break. The gathering was described as full and frank, and it formed part of the Football Association's review, which had invited the squad's opinions. The players, it is said, felt that once they had been heard they could finally move on from the heartbreak of Atlanta.
The grievance centred on how Tuchel asked the team to play the closing stages after Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes left, and Lautaro Martinez headed a stoppage-time winner. Several senior players had doubts at the time, believing the approach was too negative. Hindsight flatters the critics, since England had also retreated late against Mexico and still survived, but some felt they had been too pragmatic and should have pressed for the kill.
Tuchel pointed to the quality of Argentina, including Lionel Messi, as the reason for the late goals, and there is some truth in that. Yet many in the squad strongly believed that man for man England were the better side, noting that Argentina had 38-year-old Nicolas Otamendi on the pitch for the final 18 minutes. Every player had the chance to speak. Kane was forthright, while Bellingham was especially candid, insisting this group could keep taking the game to Argentina, a stance that reinforced his growing influence in the squad.
Since then the air appears to have cleared. After a narrow defeat to Spain at Wembley, England won three matches in a row and scored twelve goals without reply against the Czech Republic and Croatia. The Bellingham and Tuchel relationship, which had been up and down, also seems steadier, with Tuchel saying they were in a good place. The coming days, with matches against Croatia and then Spain in Madrid, will show how far this new chapter has progressed.
England's players are understood to have spoken bluntly about their World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina during a team meeting with head coach Thomas Tuchel. The meeting was described as 'full and frank' and took place at the start of the September international break.
It was part of the Football Association's review process, which, as BBC Sport reported in September, included canvassing the squad's opinions. The players, BBC Sport has been told, feel that having had their say they can now move on from the heartbreak of Atlanta on 15 July.
The grievances had lingered, and in some cases grown, through the summer. At the centre was how Tuchel told the team to play the closing stages after Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez equalised with five minutes left, and Lautaro Martinez headed in a stoppage-time winner. A number of senior players held misgivings at the time, believing the approach was too negative and too defensive.
The source acknowledges that hindsight flatters the critics. England also appeared to retreat late in their last-16 tie against Mexico, but they held a 3-2 lead to reach the quarter-finals, triggering scenes of joy at the Azteca Stadium. Even so, some players felt let down by what they saw as pragmatism against Argentina, and believed that going for the South Americans' jugular would have served them better.
Unsurprisingly, that game was a key theme of the discussion. Tuchel is understood to have pointed to the quality of the opposition as a main reason England succumbed to two late goals. There is merit in that, given that Lionel Messi was in the Argentina side. But the players did not universally accept it. There is a strongly held view in the squad that, man for man, England were superior, and that Argentina had 38-year-old Nicolas Otamendi on the pitch for the last 18 minutes.
Every player was given the chance to air a personal view. Captain Harry Kane was strong and forthright. Jude Bellingham is said to have been particularly candid, arguing that this group of players was more than capable of continuing to take the game to Argentina. His contribution is said to underline his growing influence in the squad, with many believing the Real Madrid midfielder will become captain once Kane is no longer in the picture.
The results since suggest the air has been cleared. After a narrow 3-2 defeat by Spain at Wembley in their first Nations League game in September, England won the next three matches impressively, scoring 12 goals without reply in three fixtures against the Czech Republic and Croatia. The sometimes fluctuating relationship between Bellingham and Tuchel appears to have improved as well. 'It was a bit of an up and down [relationship] of course but we are in a good place,' Tuchel said last week. 'I love to be his coach. He's a top player, a very influential player and I think it goes both ways.'
The next few days should show more of how 'Tuchel 2.0' is progressing. England host Croatia on Thursday and then travel to Madrid on Sunday to face world champions Spain.
Citações Notáveis
It was a bit of an up and down of course but we are in a good place.— Thomas Tuchel, on his relationship with Jude Bellingham
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