Thomas Tuchel open about England's 'formula' to beat Argentina - 'It’s pretty simple'
Thomas Tuchel knows he has two world class players in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham and is happy to let them continue winning games for England with their individual quality
Thomas Tuchel admits England's formula is to continue combining Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham because they "will do the rest".
The Bayern Munich attacker and the Real Madrid playmaker are the two elite players in the Three Lions' ranks and have continued to come up trumps for them. On Saturday night Bellingham scored a brace to down Norway and book a semi-final spot.
Between Kane and Bellingham they've scored all but one of England's goals in the World Cup with Marcus Rashford the only other man to get on the scoresheet. The two men are talismans for their clubs and have taken on those roles with their country.
Argentina lie between England a first World Cup final since 1966 and whilst Tuchel admits he would like to see England's attack bring more of his players into the game, he knows he has two world class individuals who can continue to win games between them.
He said after the Norway win: “If we are talking about a formula, it’s pretty simple: Put Harry and Jude together, they will do the rest. We need to get better in attacking, to also bring other players into position, but of course they are decisive players.
“They love the responsibility, they have the quality, they show up in decisive moments, so there’s nothing wrong with it, we don’t need to be sorry for that. These two guys play for us and decide the matches for us, it’s impressive.
“They are both top players, they found a way to play so efficiently with each other, through the middle of the pitch. Full credit to them, absolutely top tournament.”
Kane remains in the hunt for the Golden Boot and Bellingham's brace means he has joined his England colleague on six goals for the tournament. Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi sit on eight, meaning the English pair will need to go some if they are to claim the gong.
The Bayern striker hailed his England colleague as the difference, even if England's overall performance was called out by their manager.
"It wasn't our prettiest performance, we know, but we're into a semi-final of a World Cup," he said. "The difference again was Jude with the two goals at the perfect time. That is what got over the line."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Shoppers can now upgrade to the Sky smart TV that's 'designed for football' from £6 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.