England captain Harry Kane has acknowledged his side possess “another level we can reach” as they push for a first World Cup title since 1966.
The Three Lions required extra-time to see off Norway 2-1 on Saturday, booking a semi-final meeting with Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday at 20:00 BST.
Thomas Tuchel was openly critical following the quarter-final victory, claiming England “got lucky”, were “sloppy”, made “a lot of technical mistakes” and were “not fast enough, not repetitive enough.”
Kane, who is 32, has found the net six times in this tournament, making him joint top scorer alongside Jude Bellingham in the England squad.
The Bayern Munich striker believes Tuchel’s frustration stems from the gap between what the squad produces in training compared to what they deliver on the pitch.
“When he sees us train and sees the closeness of us and sees what we can do, especially with the players we have, the way we attack, our one-on-ones and the skills, he just wants to see that version of us,” Kane said.
“He knows as much as anyone that it’s not as simple as that, we’re playing against good opposition and good teams.”
Kane added that the manager is attempting to draw the very best out of his players, and the squad are aware of their own untapped potential.
“He’s trying to drag it out of us and we know ourselves we have another level we can reach,” Kane continued, noting the positive aspect of reaching a semi-final while still feeling capable of greater performances.
Not everyone shared Tuchel’s view, however, with Bellingham pushing back on the manager’s assessment after the Norway victory.
“It’s difficult out there, it’s a tough shift,” said Bellingham. “All the players have put in a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there.”
Bellingham questioned whether Tuchel fully appreciated the challenge England faced, pointing to the quality of their opponents throughout the contest.
“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth. They’re not an easy team to play against.”
England’s place in the last four is only their fourth World Cup semi-final appearance, following exits at that stage to West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.
The nation has also suffered heartbreak in back-to-back European Championship finals, losing to Italy on penalties at Wembley in 2021 before falling to Spain in Berlin two years later.
Kane acknowledged the weight of history while urging fans and players alike to appreciate how far this squad has come during a remarkable international era.
“It’s been an extremely successful era of our national team,” Kane said. “Of course, we want to get over the line. That is the missing piece now.”
With eight days remaining in the tournament, Kane insists the squad must channel their desire and experience into one final push to end decades of near-misses.
“We have to enjoy it,” he added, recognising that reaching a World Cup semi-final remains a significant achievement for English football.
