ATLANTA — England’s players say they are tuning out the outside chatter and focusing on the task at hand as the team prepares to face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Defender Ezri Konsa addressed reporters Tuesday, pushing back on the narrative that friction within the squad could be a distraction. His teammate Marc Guehi echoed that sentiment, saying the group has never been more unified.
The attention on England’s internal dynamics picked up after their narrow victory over Norway, which sent them to the semi-finals. Manager Thomas Tuchel expressed frustration with the team’s performance, while Jude Bellingham — who scored both goals in the 2-1 extra-time win — publicly questioned whether the coach truly understood what it felt like to play in those conditions against high-level opponents.
Despite the headlines, Konsa said the squad isn’t rattled. “I think for us, outside noise is always going to happen,” he said. “But you have to be able to block it out. We’ve been in the game a long time now and we know what comes with it. We have a great group, we’re all together, there’s been no issues.”
Guehi had warm words for Tuchel, crediting the German manager with fostering a strong sense of belief throughout the squad. “He’s brought a lot in terms of his energy on and off the field,” Guehi said. “I think he’s created a squad where there’s a big togetherness and real belief in what we’re doing at the moment, and everyone’s behind him.”
“There’s never been more of a time where we were together, to be honest,” Guehi added. “After that game, I think it just brought everyone together.”
In a separate press conference held in the same Atlanta Stadium, Tuchel was informed of his players’ glowing remarks about the team’s cohesion. He embraced the message wholeheartedly.
“I have just reinforced the belief that deep down football is still about being together and it’s a team effort,” Tuchel said. “It’s not only us, I think the whole World Cup showed all superstars committed to the team idea, committed to the team spirit, committed to the idea to play for their country.”
“It’s just outstanding mentality, mostly behind closed doors,” he continued. “The team is absolutely ready to give everything every single time, and they simply don’t give in. This is the key attribute of our team, which makes me very proud.”
Should England defeat defending champion Argentina, they would advance to face Spain in the final — a rematch of the Euro 2024 championship, which Spain won. Spain secured their spot in the final with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, while England was in the air traveling to Atlanta from their base in Kansas.
When Guehi was asked whether he caught the Spain-France match, he kept it simple. “No, I didn’t watch it,” he said. “I was sleeping on the plane.”
