Harry Kane urges England to find 'another level' amid Thomas Tuchel demands - 'He's trying to drag it out of us'

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Harry Kane believes England can still raise their performance level as Thomas Tuchel looks to unlock the full potential of his squad ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final showdown with Argentina. The Three Lions needed extra time to overcome Norway 2-1 in a tense quarter-final on Saturday night, with Jude Bellingham's instinctive winner booking a place in the last four.

Tuchel Kane

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After emulating the class of 2018 when Gareth Southgate's charges reached the final four in Russia, England must embrace the occasion while finding the extra level Tuchel believes is still waiting to emerge.

Despite progressing, the German was left frustrated by the display in Miami, admitting his side were "lucky", "sloppy" and made too many technical mistakes during a difficult evening against Stale Solbakken's team.

Kane, who has netted six goals at the tournament and is level with Bellingham as England's leading scorer, understands why his manager was unhappy.

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"When he sees us train and sees the closeness of us and sees what we can do, especially with the players we have, the way we attack, our one-on-ones and the skills, he just wants to see that version of us," Kane said.

"He knows as much as anyone that it's not as simple as that, we're playing against good opposition and good teams.

"He's trying to drag it out of us, and we know ourselves we have another level we can reach."

The Bayern Munich striker admits England have yet to produce a complete performance at the tournament, but believes the fact they remain in contention for the biggest prize in football despite that provides encouragement.

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"We haven't seen that yet, we've shown it in glimpses," Kane added. "Against Norway it was in glimpses. But we haven't had the full control that we would like, and I feel we can have.

"We'll be playing against one of the best teams in the world in the semi-final, so the most pleasing thing is we are in a semi-final and still feel we can improve.

"But I don't think it is something to get really over the top about. We are showing a lot of good things."

Kane targets 'missing piece' to England career

While Kane echoed Tuchel's assessment, Bellingham offered a different perspective after the Norway victory, highlighting the physical challenge England faced against a side containing Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth.

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"It's difficult out there, it's a tough shift," Bellingham said when Tuchel's initial assessment of the match was put to him. "All the players have put in a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there."

England are now preparing for only their fourth World Cup semi-final appearance, with previous defeats coming against West Germany in 1990 and Croatia in 2018.

After reaching two European Championship finals in recent years, Kane believes this generation has consistently placed itself among the leading nations but knows the ultimate prize remains elusive.

"It's been an extremely successful era for our national team," Kane continued. "Of course, we want to get over the line. That is the missing piece now.

"We're knocking on the door. We're getting to these semi-finals and finals. It's a big week. We've got eight days left in this tournament.

"We've been together six weeks and shown every bit of desire for the badge, and we're going to need an even bigger push now for the last week or so.

"Ultimately, we are in the semi-final of the World Cup and that has not always been the case for this national team, so we have to enjoy it."

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