'Maybe he doesn't know' - Jude Bellingham doubles down on Thomas Tuchel's England criticism

After defending the team amid performance criticisms from the England boss, Jude Bellingham has doubled down on his stance, claiming that the Three Lions manager ‘doesn’t know what it's like’ in these conditions.

Following the win against Norway, Jude Bellingham was singled out as England’s main man, scoring twice and being a constant powerhouse with the ball at his feet.

The attack midfielder rallied the nation again as England booked tickets to the semi-final of the World Cup for the second time in the last three tournaments, and only their fourth time ever.

But it wasn’t a pretty win as the baking-hot Miami sun made for a very leggy and exhausting fixture.

With England zapped of life, head coach Thomas Tuchel was left angry with the quality levels (or lack of) in a post-match interview.

"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," Tuchel said.

"The result is fantastic, we're in the last four, it's amazing, but... I'm not happy with the performance.

“Again, the commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for us, in the way we played, how we played.

“Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky today.”

Bellingham, though, disagreed, saying that he was proud of the effort.

In a healthy response, the number 10 said, "It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players have put out a tough shift.

“So my thoughts and appreciation go out to the players who put in a great shift yet again.”

Now, he’s doubled down.

Bellingham happy to 'win dirty' despite Tuchel concerns

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Bellingham said that he is happy to win games without dominating possession, especially in conditions like those.

"Maybe he doesn't know what its like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Musa, Sorloth, you know, that's not an easy team to face.

"I think we've tried to create a positive environment and we should continue that going into the final four.

"I can't speak highly enough of the lads, you're not going to win every game by popping the ball around and making a thousand passes, sometimes you have to win dirty, and we've done that again tonight."

The extensive efforts looked to take its toll on the England players, though, which may be a bad omen for games to come.

Declan Rice was the first player to come off with ongoing injury and fitness concerns, while players like Marc Guehi and Reece James fought through the pain barrier.

Bellingham himself was visibly cramping in England's engine room, and it might be up to Tuchel to dip into his deep squad to offer a bit of rotation in key areas with two gigantic games left.