Can Bellingham win England the World Cup?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Athletic FC. Hello and welcome to The Athletic FC podcast with me, Ian Irving. So, more Bellingham brilliance sends England into the semi-finals with two against Norway. But is mentality enough to win the World Cup? Wow, what a sentence that was to kick us off the World Cup for England. There's a few bleary eyes about, shall we say, after that late night drama for England against Norway in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. But these two here, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, Karl Anker and Liam Toomey waiting to speak to us. We're fresh.
Gents, we're up for this.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
How did England progress to the World Cup semi-finals after the Norway match?
I was struggling early on, but maybe you're going to be the one that saves me here.
Oh, I see what you did there. Very nice work. Let's get into it then. Let's go to Miami. Let's hear from the Athletics England correspondent, Jack Pitbrook, on that victory last night.
It's a weird game. I thought it was probably the worst that England had played over the course of this tournament. I thought they were a mess for about 25 through to about 80 minutes. Thomas Tuchel's half-time substitutions didn't work. England really struggled without Declan Rice in the middle of the pitch. Tuchel had to scramble to save it in the second half with various substitutions before England got their footing back in the game, but... Despite all of that, I thought it was an amazing effort from the England substitutes to get it over the line, to seize back control of the game in extra time. And it's left me thinking, does it matter that England aren't playing that well? I mean, there's so many holes you could pick in the England performance.
I mean, this was, I think, was probably worse than some of the England performances we've seen so far, but... When you've got the mentality and the will to win that they showed firstly in the Azteca and then again here, and when you've got individual players like Kane and Bellingham who can determine games in the way that they did, I don't know how much of that counts anymore. I don't think anybody will want to play England. I think they have a real togetherness which can count for a lot. And sure, they could easily get ripped apart by a good player. There's clearly gaps in that defence, although I did think they handled Haarlem pretty well. But I do think that England have a lot of momentum. They're in a brilliant position.
They're still in the tournament and they're playing the semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Yeah, thank you, Jack. He didn't bring the mood down completely, Carl, by beginning to criticise the performance for England. It's a fair point. We'll talk about the substitutions a little bit later on as well. But I think the point that he made about just getting the job done, the resilience of this group, the spirit of this group, that is the main thing that stands out, isn't it?
Absolutely. If you think about the performance, Azteca was just trench warfare, gutting it out in adverse situation and getting it done. And I'd say this performance was grinding things out, making things attritional. I thought England played quite well until the first hydration break. And then they just, again, seemed to lose their head, seems to lose shape. And yes, the headlines and the montages will most likely include a lot of Harry Kane and a lot of Jude Bellingham. But I think For anyone who's been watching these games, you've probably come away going, oh, I'm so glad Dan Byrne is here. Oh, you know what? That Jed Spence fella, he's pretty good, isn't he?
What was the on-the-ground reaction in Miami to England's extra-time win?
It's doing some really surprising subplots. And I think a lot of it is down to these substitutions coming on and just heart, guts, spine all on the field.
Yeah, Liam, does it matter that they've not played at their best? I mean, Thomas Tuchel seems to say after every single game as well that they're not playing as well as they can, but they're in the semifinals.
Well, you can't win the World Cup in the early rounds, but you can lose it. And England have not lost it. They are still there.
Why do pundits debate whether England's mentality can win the World Cup?
And as long as you're still there, you have the possibility to click into a higher gear.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:43
2
How did England progress to the World Cup semi-finals after the Norway match?
0:43–3:09
3
What was the on-the-ground reaction in Miami to England's extra-time win?
3:09–3:36
4
Why do pundits debate whether England's mentality can win the World Cup?
3:36–4:26
5
How important have substitutions and Tuchel's tactics been in England’s knockout games?
4:26–20:22
6
What concerns remain about England’s midfield depth and Declan Rice’s absence?
20:22–31:25
7
Can Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane's partnership carry England to tournament victory?
31:25–37:43
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from The Athletic FC Podcast
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