England captain Harry Kane hits out at ITV interviewer Gabriel Clarke ‘trying to create division’ between Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham with his questioning at the World Cup

Harry Kane accused ITV journalist Gabriel Clarke of ‘trying to create division’ with his line of questioning in a viral interview with Jude Bellingham following England’s win over Norway.

Clarke, who has worked at the broadcaster for more than three decades, asked the Three Lions star to respond to a heated interview that manager Thomas Tuchel had given moments earlier.

The German described his players as ‘lucky’ after the 2-1 win in Miami and praised Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Co. He argued that it was only the mentality of the team that made him stand out against him.

This sparked a heated response from Bellingham, who questioned whether Tuchel ‘knows what it’s like’ to play in top-flight matches where temperatures soar above 40C.

The Real Madrid man’s comments went viral, sparking fears of a rift between him and Tuchel as England prepare for Wednesday’s quarter-final against Argentina.

But now Kane appears to have shifted the blame to Clarke and the media, arguing that it is the ‘English mentality’ to try to create division during major tournaments.

Clarke criticized for asking Jude Bellingham to respond to comments made by his manager immediately after the win against Norway

Bellingham questions whether Thomas Tuchel ‘knows what it’s like’ to play in big games

The Three Lions captain said: BBC: ‘If you’re playing in a match like this and you’re asked a question five minutes after the final whistle and the manager doesn’t really know what he’s saying, what do you want Jude to say?

‘We had just come out of a war. It was really tough out there. This section is easy to try and create. This is similar to the British mentality, the British mentality in big tournaments.

‘But it’s the other way around. The group is where we are because of our unity, not just the players, the coach and the staff. ‘Sometimes things are made to seem like more than they are.’

Tuchel also accused his players of ‘making life very, very difficult for themselves’ during the clash in Miami, which went into extra time after Andres Shjelderup had given the Vikings a 1-0 lead at half-time.

He said: ‘The commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for ourselves with the way we played, how we played: sloppy, lots of technical errors, not fast enough, not repetitive enough.’

Responding to these comments, Kane said he and the players ‘understand’ their manager’s criticism and ‘know more than anyone’ when they are not playing well.

The 32-year-old added: ‘We understand what the boss means. He complimented the band very much. He said the mentality of the group, which is sometimes the hardest part, is top notch and we have been for a while.

‘He wears his heart on his sleeve and people appreciate that. When he talks, it’s never scripted. That’s what makes him who he is.

This statement came after Tuchel criticized his players’ performance, describing them as ‘lucky’ to win.

Piers Morgan went to X today to point out that Gabriel Clarke was just doing his job

‘When it comes naturally, you believe it, you believe what he says, you believe his approach.

‘There’s a reason he’s one of the best managers in the world. We understand this. Over the past two years we’ve gotten to know him and learned what makes him happy.’

But Piers Morgan has a different view. The broadcaster took to X earlier today to state that Clarke was a ‘real journalist’ who was just doing his job.

‘I love Harry Kane but it wasn’t Gabriel Clarke who said England’s performance was poor, it was Thomas Tuchel,’ he wrote. ‘If managers show raw honesty like that – which I loved – of course any decent journalist will ask the players what they think of what he said!’

Bellingham once again became England’s savior in the match against Norway, scoring twice to book the Three Lions’ place in the semi-finals.

The first drive, which equalized for England after the Vikings broke the deadlock, saw the Birmingham-born star catch Anthony Gordon’s pass, move towards the penalty area and curl an effort past Orjan Nyland into the back of the net.

Bellingham then took England’s place in Atlanta, following Morgan Rogers’ effort from a distance and taking advantage of the Nyland leak.

Galactico was unsurprisingly bullish when he asked Clarke what he thought of Tuchel’s comments after the final whistle.

He replied: ‘Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play against Erling Haaland, (Martin) Odegaard, (Antonio) Nusa, (Alexander) Sörloth in such conditions. It is not an easy team to play against.

‘I think we are trying to create a positive environment and we have to continue that going into the last four. I couldn’t speak highly enough about the kids. ‘You can’t win every game by throwing the ball and making thousands of passes, sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that again tonight.’

Bellingham and Co will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Atlanta tomorrow night for a place in England’s first World Cup final in 60 years.

The match will be the first time England and the Argentines have faced each other in nearly 21 years, and the first time Messi has faced England in his career.

While many experts supported the progress of the Three Lions before the match, Joe Cole claimed that the English defense would ‘put Messi to sleep’, while Ian Wright insisted that he was ‘not afraid’ of Argentina.

But that confidence sparked outrage in Buenos Aires, where Argentinian media accused the British press of ‘downplaying’ Lionel Scaloni’s side.

The front page of Ole magazine, published in the nation’s capital, read: ‘England underestimates us; Respect the hierarchy.

‘There is a sense of triumph among the British press and former players who belittle the Argentine powerhouse, while their star Bellingham and manager Tuchel fight in public.’

Argentina have lifted the World Cup three times and eliminated England twice since the Three Lions’ last victory 60 years ago.

Tuchel’s team is preparing to face Lionel Messi and Argentina in Atlanta tomorrow

In the quarter-final match made famous by Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’, the former Barcelona star led his country to a 2-1 victory at the Azteca Stadium 40 years ago, while in 1998, England were heartbreaking due to the penalties they received against the Argentines in St Etienne.

But speaking on Stick to Football, former England striker Ian Wright insisted Tuchel’s team will ‘beat’ the Argentines to reach their first World Cup final in 60 years.

‘I think if we go to France or Spain the level will go to a completely different place,’ he said. ‘It must be hard; This is the finale, right? But I’m not as afraid of Argentina as I am of France or Spain, because I think there are a lot of misconceptions about them.’

The Argentines, who lifted the trophy in Qatar four years ago, looked weak defensively and had to rely on Messi’s brilliance to beat both Cape Verde and Egypt in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 stages.

In the same program, Neville pointed out that the centre-back pairing of the country’s Premier League stars Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero could be revealed.

He said: ‘They seem to score a goal between them every game and the full-backs aren’t very good either but then you watch them, they score goals, they head the ball and something happens to them every time they put on that jersey.

‘I call them the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world because they can be incredible sometimes.’

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