Wayne Rooney makes England vs Argentina prediction ahead of World Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Former Three Lions skipper has backed Thomas Tuchel’s assessment of win over Norway

Wayne Rooney believes England have what it takes to beat Argentina and reach the World Cup final, but was left unconvinced by their quarter-final victory over Norway.

England beat Norway 2-1 after extra-time on Saturday to book a semi-final against world champions Argentina, with either France or Spain awaiting in the final should they progress.

Despite the result, Rooney questioned the overall display and agreed with Tuchel's honest assessment after the match.

"Thomas Tuchel was exactly right in what he was saying after the game," Rooney told BBC Sport.

"When you think about a semi-final against a very good Switzerland team or a very good Argentina team, we have to show more quality.

We have to show more quality to advance into the final ... we've shown courage and mentality but you're going to need the quality as well

Wayne Rooney

"The Mexico game was really good, it was tough to get through that in those conditions. But we have to show more quality to advance into the final I believe.

"We've shown courage and mentality but you're going to need the quality as well in the semi-final."

Rooney believes Tuchel's post-match comments sent an important message to his players.

He continued: "I think Tuchel's interview tells everyone that the performance wasn't good enough and tells the players the performance wasn't good enough because he knows going into the semi-final, a performance like that won't be good enough to get through because of the quality of the opposition.

"You can't afford to not play well because they will take the ball off you, make you work and punish you."

The former England captain praised the team's resilience but admitted Norway were the better side for long periods.

"We're all delighted that England have got through but the performance wasn't great but they found a way," he said.

"I just loved that interview from Thomas Tuchel. I thought he was spot on in terms of the mentality, the character of the players has got them through that game because for large parts of that game Norway were the better team.

"They got lucky with the second goal for Norway, I thought that was a little bit harsh.

"It's about getting through to the semi-finals. They've done their job tonight and we'll see who we play."

Rooney also highlighted Jude Bellingham's influence and suggested England may be better suited to facing Argentina than Switzerland.

"We lacked quality and speed and tempo but when you have players like Jude Bellingham in the team then you always have a chance," he said.

"I said before the tournament started there would be a game when we're going to need Jude Bellingham and I referenced Steven Gerrard in the 2005 Champions League final.

"In a game where we needed him most he stepped up."

Rooney added: "I think I'd rather face Argentina. I think Switzerland are really organised in how they play and I think they could be a tricky game for England."