Troy Deeney has stunningly claimed that one England player was “no better than Noni Madueke’ during their 2-1 win vs Norway on Saturday night, thus urging Thomas Tuchel to drop him ahead of the World Cup semi-final.

It was another come-from-behind victory for the Three Lions, who had to rely on the heroics of Jude Bellingham – fourth among the tournament’s top performers based on stats – to set up a mouth-watering clash with Argentina on Wednesday night.

England have never beaten a side who are in the top four of the FIFA World Rankings at a major tournament before, but will need to do just that to cut Lionel Messi’s title defence short in Atlanta, Georgia.

Deeney Brutally Names England Star Tuchel Must Drop vs Argentina

Deeney claimed that the lack of critique headed Nico O’Reilly’s way pales in comparison to the heat on Arsenal winger Noni Madueke, but that shouldn’t be the case. His brutal verdict on Manchester City’s left-back was made when he, Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent named their predicted line-up for England’s semi-final clash against Argentina. After he was picked in the XI, Deeney said on talkSPORT:

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis

Goldstein felt Deeney’s verdict was rather harsh, prompting the latter to respond: “What’s been his good game?” The co-host admitted O’Reilly was yet to produce a memorable performance, but that he hadn’t exactly been bad either.

Deeney replied: “No, I agree. And I don’t think Madueke has had a bad game. He’s just been in the middle. I’m just saying, the level of what you look for in an attacking player is much different to what you look for in a defensive player. Nico O’Reilly hasn’t been great. He’s been okay. For a player of his talent, and a player of his ability, okay shouldn’t be good enough.”

O’Reilly has featured in all six of the Three Lions’ World Cup fixtures, with five of those being starts. Similarly to O’Reilly, Spence has featured in each of England’s six World Cup fixtures to date but has started just twice.

He Also Believes England Can ‘Batter’ Argentina in Semi-Final

Nathan Ray Seebeck (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Just four days ago, Deeney said Tuchel’s side would ‘come unstuck’ if they had to face Argentina. But he has since changed his tune, so much so that he has now made the sensational claim that England can ‘batter’ their opponents en-route to just a second World Cup final appearance in their history. He said (watch from 2:00 of the video below):

Whether England can stop Messi from adding to his tally of eight goals and three assists in six matches this summer is a massive ask, though, while Tuchel will once again be leaning on Harry Kane and Bellingham is he is to continue his side’s impressive run of grinding out results, no matter what is thrown their way.

Looking to secure a spot in their first World Cup final since 1966, England will take on Argentina in their semi-final. The Three Lions have heavily relied on Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham this summer, but the Argentine press believe stopping another man could be the key to success.

Bellingham bagged a brace against Norway in the quarters, having also scored twice in the 3-2 win over Mexico. Kane also found the back of the next in that Last 16 victory, while his two strikes were enough to see England edge past DR Congo in the Round of 32.

In total, both Kane and Bellingham have six goals this summer, with Marcus Rashford the only other player to have netted at the tournament under Thomas Tuchel. Even so, it’s felt that a different player is worth targeting if Argentina want to make their second successive final, having won the 2022 World Cup.

‘England Lose Clarity’ – Argentina Told To Target Midfielder

Paul Childs via Reuters

In a lengthy article written by Argentinian journalist Bruno Distefano for TycSports, the writer explaned why it could be key for his nation to target Declan Rice in the match. He explained:

Not only did he speak specifically about Rice, but the article also notes some other exploitable issues England may have. Distefano wrote: “They tend to be sluggish at the start of matches. In several games, they needed a considerable amount of time to settle defensively and struggled when the opposition managed to impose a high tempo from the outset. Striking early can not only alter the course of the game but also force Tuchel’s team to abandon a game plan they are much more comfortable with.”

The journalist also claimed that, “The mobility of the Argentine forwards and the overlapping runs of Molina and Tagliafico can create overloads on the flanks,” if England lose possesion. Finally, he suggested that the Three Lions have ‘accumulated more fatigue than Argentina’ over the tournament, which could be important on the day.

Threat of Kane and Bellingham Also Highlighted

TycSports clearly feel as though the likes of Kane and Bellingham won’t be able to do their thing if Rice is put under enough pressure in the middle of the park. That’s not to say they have overlooked the indieifaul qualitty of the two England goalscoring threats.

Of the Real Madrid star, Distefano noted: “Bellingham has gone from being just an attacking midfielder to a game-changer, a player who unlocks the game from deep. He exploits the space Kane creates, appearing without a fixed target, and arriving in the box with incredibly precise timing. A moment of inattention is all it takes to find him finishing through the middle or attacking the far post.”

Talking about the England captain, he then concluded: “Kane remains the attacking focal point, though no longer solely due to his goalscoring ability. He increasingly drops deeper to link up with the midfielders, pin back the center-backs, and free up the central channel for Bellingham’s runs or Bukayo Saka’s diagonal runs.”

So much of the 2026 World Cup went so well for Norway. They managed to go further than ever before, making the quater-finals, but that joy turned to misery as they lost to England 2-1 in a very tight game.

Erling Haaland was very much the nation’s main man as he bagged seven goals at the tournament, inclduing one in the Last 32 win over Ivory Coast and an unforgetable brace against Brazil in the Round of 16.

The Manchester City star was unable to find the back of the net against England, however, but was not helped in one moment, when it looked as though teammate Alexander Sorloth could have put him through on goal. The 30-year-old instead looked to shoot and saw the chance come to nothing.

Sorloth has faced plenty of criticism over the incidnet, and US influencer, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul has now weighed in on the debate.

Sorloth Speaks Out on Haaland Incident

Speaking after the game, Sorloth explained why he failed to pass to Haaland. He told the press:

True football fans will understand the sport is a game of fine margins and while Sorloth didn’t quite get things right in the moment, many other players would have made the same mistake. Even so, the reaction on social media has been extreme to say the least.

Things have got so bad, in fact, that his girlfriend, Lena Selnes, has released a statement addressing the hate that her partner has received. She shared a collection of abusive messages and wrote:

“The World Cup and football bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of hate. I don’t really want to give it any attention, but feel the need to after comments like this.

“Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation.”

Logan Paul Slams Sorloth After Norway Loss

Amid all the fall-out US influencer Paul – who has been closely watching the World Cup this summer – has offered his thoughts on Sorloth. He didn’t exactly show a lot of symphathy, as he blamed Norway’s defeat to England on this one incident, forgetting that football is a team sport made up of many individuals and many moments.

Taking to social media, he wrote:

Paul’s comment went viral on social media, sparking millions of views and over one thousand comments as fans debated the topic.

Norway took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup before Jude Bellingham made it 1-1. The game then went to extra time where Bellingham scored again, finishing from close range after a poor piece of goalkeeping from Orjan Nyland. Soon after, Haaland had to come off as he was dealing with a fitness issue, and could only watch on from the sidelines as his countrymen lost 2-1.

England will now play Argentina in the semi-final, with France taking on Spain on the other side of the draw.