Tuchel denies Bellingham rift as England prepare for Argentina semi-final

Thomas Tuchel has insisted there is no issue between him and Jude Bellingham, following the midfielder's reaction to the German's post-match comments. After England's quarter-final win over Norway, Tuchel said the team "got lucky" and "made life very, very difficult for ourselves." When asked about this, Bellingham, who scored twice, replied: "Yeah well, whatever." Tuchel brushed off any tension, explaining that the question in the post-match interview was negative and failed to mention his praise of Bellingham's world-class performance. "There's no issue. We're competing for the same goal," Tuchel said.

Tuchel also confirmed that Declan Rice is ready to start against Argentina. The Arsenal midfielder was withdrawn at half-time against Norway due to illness but trained fully on Tuesday. However, Jordan Henderson and Jarell Quansah remain unavailable for the semi-final.

The match marks the first time England will face Argentina legend Lionel Messi on the international stage. Tuchel described him as "unique" and acknowledged the challenge: "We know how big the obstacle is." He also addressed the historical political tensions between the nations, particularly the Falklands War, saying: "We respect our opponent, but we don't dip into historic events. It is a big football match."

Tuchel could become only the fourth manager to reach a World Cup final with a team other than his home nation, and the first since Ernst Happel with the Netherlands in 1978. He also shared a light-hearted moment about relaxing during the long summer camp: "Sometimes you just go on a bike, and you need a big parking lot and an ice cream in your hand. For 15 minutes, you feel like 15 years old."