Kane and Bellingham voice strong views at England World Cup review meeting
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, along with other England players, voiced strong views about their World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina at a "full and frank" squad meeting with head coach Thomas Tuchel at the start of the September international break.
The Football Association process had included canvassing the opinions of the squad, BBC Sport reported in September, and players told those involved they now feel able to move on from the heartbreak in Atlanta on 15 July. That apparent shift was reflected in the September international break, when England lost narrowly to Spain in their first game before winning the next three matches convincingly.
Some squad members had carried grievances since the Argentina defeat, with those feelings lingering and, according to reports, growing during the summer. A particular source of unhappiness related to Tuchel's instructions for the closing stages after Anthony Gordon had given England a 55th-minute lead; Enzo Fernandez struck an equaliser with five minutes left and Lautaro Martinez headed a stoppage-time winner.
Several senior players expressed misgivings about what they perceived as a negative, defensive approach in that match. The Argentina game was not the only instance cited; England also appeared to retreat in the closing stages of their last-16 tie against Mexico earlier in the tournament, although they successfully defended a 3-2 lead to reach the quarter-finals and trigger scenes of joy at the Azteca Stadium.
Tuchel told the meeting the quality of the opposition was a key reason for the late goals, noting that Lionel Messi was in the Argentina team, a view that was not universally accepted by the squad. Players argued their team was, man-for-man, superior to Argentina and pointed to the presence of 38-year-old Nicolas Otamendi on the field for the closing 18 minutes as part of their case; all players were given the chance to air personal views during the meeting.
Captain Harry Kane was reported to have been strong and forthright in expressing his opinions, while Jude Bellingham was particularly candid about his belief that the current crop of England players were capable of continuing to take the game to Argentina. Bellingham's input was said to underline his growing influence within the squad, with many believing the Real Madrid midfielder will become the team's captain once Kane is no longer in the picture.
If clearing the air was necessary after the World Cup, the discussions at the end of September appeared effective: aside from the 3-2 defeat by Spain at Wembley in their first Nations League fixture in September, England then scored 12 goals without conceding in three fixtures against the Czech Republic and Croatia, and the previously fluctuating relationship between Bellingham and Tuchel seems to have improved.
"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." We will get a clearer idea of how 'Tuchel 2.0' is progressing in the next few days when England host Croatia on Thursday and travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday.
