For many England players, tonight’s World Cup semi-final will be the biggest game of their lives so far. They’re facing the reigning champions, renewing a fierce national rivalry that goes beyond sport. They have ghosts of past losses to vanquish. And on top of all that, they’re contending with arguably the greatest footballer in history.
So, how will Thomas Tuchel’s team hopefully not just cope with the pressure in Atlanta, against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, but thrive on it?
Immediately after the 2-1 victory over Norway, Tuchel raised eyebrows by saying his team were “lucky”. He complained that England’s performance was “sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough”. It prompted that instantly famous response from exhausted star Jude Bellingham: “Whatever.”
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Sport psychologist Dr Paul McCarthy admits Tuchel’s comments sounded like harsh criticism, but thinks he will have underlined to his players that in fact they were quite the opposite. “He is saying, ‘I expect more of you.’ That means he believes in them more than perhaps they believe in themselves. That is a vote of confidence.”
