After eight years and four semifinal appearances, it's time for football to come home, not for England to go home.

Written by Han Bing. Although England are one step away from reaching their third major tournament final in five years, German coach Thomas Tuchel of the Three Lions has already made history: he is the first foreign manager to lead England to a major semifinal. Previously, Eriksson exited in the quarterfinals three times (2002 and 2006 World Cups, 2004 European Championship), while Capello was eliminated in the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. But the fiercely determined Tuchel is clearly not satisfied; his goal is at least to reach the World Cup final.

Unfortunately, England's performance against Norway in Miami gave Tuchel little reason for optimism ahead of the upcoming semifinal. During the first water break in the first half, his yelling at Anderson and Madueke showed the world the German coach's frustration. If England face Argentina with the same form they showed against Norway, the outcome would be worrying, as British media put it: throughout this journey, England have relied more on willpower than tactics to beat their opponents.

For a perfectionist like Tuchel, the mistakes and errors made by the Three Lions in Miami were unbearable. However, as Tuchel himself said with a "but" in the post-match press conference: England have Bellingham and Kane at their peak. Even if the Three Lions' tactical performance doesn't satisfy him, Bellingham or Kane will always step up in critical moments, which is enough to take England to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in eight years.

England are indeed lucky: Tuchel believes the Three Lions beat Norway by luck, while Bellingham, Rice, Guehi, and O'Riley had their yellow cards cleared. Apart from the still-suspended Quansah, the Three Lions can field a full-strength lineup. But the German coach's warning is not without merit: England must deliver a much better performance to avoid the same difficulties in the semifinal and to prevent him from losing his temper again.

The journey was tough, but the result was a relief. Thanks to Bellingham's "world-class performance," England narrowly beat Norway in extra time. However, for this England team led by Kane, this is the last chance of the "golden generation." Since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, apart from a quarterfinal exit in 2022, the Three Lions have reached at least the semifinals in the other four major tournaments. They reached consecutive European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024, but lost both. This England team has a high floor, but there is still a gap between them and the ceiling.

Bellingham's outstanding performance made him the first player since Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup to score two goals in consecutive World Cup knockout matches. And England's semifinal opponent happens to be Argentina. This England team's starting lineup strength and squad depth exceed that of the so-called "golden generation" of Lampard and Gerrard, allowing the Three Lions to reach major tournament finals (2021 and 2024 European Championships) for the first time in over half a century since the 1966 World Cup. But unfortunately, the biggest weakness of that Three Lions team was their coach, Southgate.

Two years later in Miami, it's Tuchel's turn to fulfill the "golden generation's" dream. But before that, Kane and his teammates still have two hurdles to overcome, with the first being against Argentina in Atlanta on the 16th. Tuchel is luckier than Southgate because he not only has Kane but also a more mature Bellingham.

In this World Cup, the two stars have combined to score 12 goals in six matches, matching the total goals scored by the entire England team in seven matches in Russia eight years ago, and also surpassing the total goals scored by England in seven matches at the 2021 and 2024 European Championships (11 and 8 goals respectively).

In this England team, Bellingham is the only player with enough confidence and technique to control the game, exploit angles, and create chances with his passing. To some extent, he is the only variable in the Three Lions' completely predictable tactics. England have not yet reached the level where they can rely on their strength to win the World Cup, because the team's fatal flaws make Bellingham's rescues seem unlikely to work every time.

Bellingham and Kane give England fans enough confidence, as the two complement each other perfectly; whenever they are on the pitch, at least one of them will score. But as Daily Mail columnist Redman wrote: during the World Cup, England's form has been inconsistent. Even when Tuchel felt his players clearly fell short of expectations, he still chose to support them. But this time his patience has reached its limit. He cannot rely on Kane or Bellingham to save the day every time they face a strong opponent.

In what is arguably the strongest World Cup semifinal ever, if England want to win the world title after 60 years, they must first deliver a convincing and stable performance in Atlanta. But Tuchel is not confident about this. Not only Norwegian fans, but even the English media admit: if not for a few accidents, the team celebrating victory would have been Norway.

"Sloppy" and "lucky" are Tuchel's conclusions about this England team. He seems to have tried every method to get the Three Lions to replicate their performance against Croatia in the opening match, but nothing has worked. Tuchel did not hesitate to let the world see his dissatisfaction with some England players, which appears to be his last resort.

This England team seems to have returned to the Southgate era: they have the edge against most teams, but they also look like they could lose to anyone. With Quansah suspended, Tuchel chose Konsa as the right-back and Stones as the center-back, bringing back the Southgate-style England. The defense led by Stones infected the entire team with instability, including goalkeeper Pickford, much like the viral outbreak in the Norwegian camp reported before the match.

Quansah remains suspended for the semifinal, so England's defensive issues still need to be resolved. Tuchel also has an additional problem with Rice's injury. The only consolation is that Anderson, who just transferred to Manchester City, is in a rising phase both physically and in form, and he can firmly anchor England's midfield.

Anderson reminds old-school England fans of Platt, who led the Three Lions to the semifinals at the 1990 World Cup: equally low-key and improving as the tournament progressed. If Rice's hamstring and back pain cannot be alleviated, Anderson's performance against Argentina on Thursday will be even more critical. Tuchel can continue to trust Kane and Bellingham, who have scored 12 of England's 13 goals. But in midfield, he may need to make a decision early.

The current "golden generation" of England still has some distance from the team performance Tuchel hopes to see. However, Tuchel once encouraged the self-doubting "golden generation" by saying: it's time for England to perform well in the final moments of the World Cup. In Atlanta, his players must release the handbrake and go all out. England have wasted three chances in eight years, and for many, this might be the last one.