'X-Factor Players Win You Tournaments!' | Paul Merson looks ahead to England v Argentina

So Argentina next up then, and a shot at the World Cup final.We can speak to a man who has his own history with England's opponents on Wednesday, our very own Paul Merson.Good morning, bright and early.Look at that in your kit.Did you sleep in that?Did you watch it last night in your full kit, Paul?

Go on.

Full kit, same shorts.No, I'm only joking.No, just talk.Just talk.So, yeah, no, amazing.The performance weren't great, but we won.

I mean, yeah, I don't think people understand how hot it is over there in the difficulty.I've been to Orlando a few times on holiday, fortunately enough, and it is, honestly, it's boiling hot.It's bad enough sitting around the pool and then dipping in and out to play in that heat for that long and extra time.Fair play to the players.Absolutely amazing.Both sets of players, to be fair, both sets.

Speaking of individual players, let's talk Jude Bellingham, of course.I mean, saviour yet again.What did you make of his performance?How do you sum that up?

You know, we're only talking about three months ago.We were thinking, is it Morgan Rodgers' plan?Is it Bellingham's plan?I mean, how mad are we to even have thought that?No disrespect to Morgan Rodgers, but Bellingham's on another level.Absolutely another level.

He's a superstar.He's a top player.If you look at the rebound, It's his movement.He goes inside and then back outside to get the rebound.You know, he's the only one who goes for it.Teams win leagues.

X -Factors win tournaments.And we have an X -Factor in Jude Bellenham.And while we've got Jude Bellenham and Ari Kane, who are X -Factors, you've always got a chance of winning tournaments.Always.Teams win leagues, but X -Factors win tournaments.Short tournaments.

And we have that in abundance with them, too.I mean, Kane had a not great day, but Bellingham, superstar, superstar.

And Paul, when it comes to Jude Bellingham, two goals against Mexico, two again last night.six goals in total in this World Cup, is he already going down as an England great, regardless of what he goes on to achieve?

Aye, James.Yeah, you'd have to say so.I mean...How old is he now?He's got over 50 caps already.He always turns up at the big tournaments.

He's a big game player.He plays at Real Madrid as well.He moved to Real Madrid, took the chance on going to Dortmund.That wasn't an easy decision when he was younger to go to Dortmund and play in Germany in a different country.And he's done that and he ends up at Real Madrid.The lad's a proper, proper player.

You see good players, there's good players and then there's shelves.He's moving up that shelf very, very quickly to near the top with all the top, top players.And while we've got him, you've always got a chance.Always got a chance.

Morning, Merce.Morning, Jamie.How are you, mate?What did you make of the fatigue and that setting in at the players?Talking about Argentina next game.potentially, like, make some change?

Would you be brave and maybe make a change?Because some of them, I thought they looked dead on their feet last night.

Yeah, and they would do.I mean, the heat is...Honestly, it's unbearable.You know how hot it was yesterday here?And you were probably playing golf, Jamie, but...

But how hot is it now?You can turn that up another 10 and all of a sudden you've got the humidity as well and they've got to play in front of that.Yeah, you know, yesterday as well, missing Rice going off at halftime.Might have to mix the wingers up.I'd probably bring Rashford and Saka in for these games just to freshen it up as well.Yeah, he's just got to make his substitutions at the right time, in my opinion, but they're entitled to be tired.

It's very, very hot out there.Humidity is hot.I could see where Tukul got the, you know,Players are making bad, bad mistakes.You know, like wingers are being offside, looking along the line when we're dominating the ball for a couple of minutes.You know, them kind of things shouldn't happen at that level of football.

I didn't have a problem with his interview, Thomas Tuchel.I didn't have an issue with it.He's the manager.The performance weren't great.And as you said, He wants to improve.We've got Argentina.

We can win the World Cup.He wants to see a better performance.I feel like we're making like a big deal out of him saying he weren't happy.Well, none of us were happy, but we got through.

Yeah, I mean, he's an elite manager, James, an elite manager.He's top drawer, you know.That's why they brought him in.He ain't silly.He knows if we play like that, Not so much against Argentina.I think Argentina games a real flick of a coin.

But if we played like that against Spain or France, we would get blown away.Yeah.And he knows that.He knows that.And that's why it's all right to say it now while we've won the game.And it's all, you know, so for me, he knows.

And I think you know as well, Jane.If we play like that against France or Spain, we will get blown away.Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Merce, when it comes to what Thomas Tuchel has achieved in this competition, England have now reached the semi -final.Do you think He's vindicated his appointment.Do you think we've now reached minimum expectations?And he can maybe say that he's vindicated it in his squad selection because that has been the big question mark.No real right back at the moment.He's got his disposal, picking players that aren't perhaps fully fit, leaving some big players at home.

Do you think he can now say, I was right all along?

Well, he is right.You know, were we number three or four seed in the world?I think we are.And we've got in the semi -final.That's where we should be.You know, if it was Wimbledon tennis, you'd expect the first four seed.

to get in, the top four seeds to get into the semi -final.And if they don't get into the semi -final, they haven't, they haven't, they fouled.They fouled miserably.And what's happened, the first, the top four have got into the semi -final.That's where we should be.You know, after that, if we can get to the final, and then I think we've exceeded expectation because we're number four seed.

And I think we've got to look at it like that.He's done an amazing job.He's picked his way he wants to play.He's picked the players that suit the way he wants to play.And fair play to him.I think he's done an amazing job.

We haven't been great, but he made a big decision.Because three months ago, the nation was real, real up in things.Will it be Bellingham?Will it be Rodgers?Will it be Bellingham?Will it be Rodgers?

And all of a sudden, he knew what he was going to do.He's played Bellingham, and he's been the X Factor, him and Harry Kane.

We want to ask you about one of the sort of, well, the big controversy of the game, and the Norwegians not happy at all about the fact that they felt that the ball had hit the wire of Spider -Cam.Do you think the ball hit it or not?Did it have an effect?What are your thoughts on that?

It did drop down.It felt like the ball just come straight down.You know what I mean?It didn't...Yeah, for me, when you watch it here, it goes and then it just falls.It literally just falls.

But it's gone now.I mean...He can't turn back time.I just think it just dropped straight down the way it goes.But, yeah, I mean, yeah, it's gone now.I mean, you've got to remember, that was inside our half.

They've still got to go down the wing, cross it in, take three unbelievable touches by Dubele, and then smash it in the far corner.I mean, yeah.Yeah, if you're Norway, you're probably a bit devastated, but that's just the way it is. I mean, you can't...happen in games.I didn't think we were fortunate with the push.I see that straight away.

I said foul.Everybody was going mad in my house, but I said, no, don't worry, it's a foul.I was watching them both anyway, and it was a blatant push.Whoever wins this World Cup will have to be lucky along the way.No one will get along and go, oh, we weren't lucky in a moment.And that will happen.

And we've had a little bit of luck along the way.And we're in the semi -final against a team that, let's be honest, they do not like us.Do not like us one bit.You know, and what I can't understand, the other day, my boy's friend knocked at the house.He had an Argentina shirt.I mean, I said to him, I said, Rick, I said, Rick, do you think Argentinian people are walking around with England shirts in Argentina?

I don't even know how we sell them over here.Well, it's because of Messi, isn't it?That's what it is. I can understand if he's Maradona, you know what I mean?The old school one.But, you know, because he...Yeah, honestly, I couldn't even let him in the house.

I said, do you have to go and change?He'd come back in a Spain shirt.I mean...

It's a nice shirt though, Merce, the Argentinian shirt.It's a nice shirt.It's a nice shirt, Jamie.

In 1998 when we played in the World Cup, we lost.I'll never forget it, right?We got on the coach after the game and he was devastated.And the coaches were right next to each other.Like when you parked in the stadium, they were right next to each other.And I remember us sitting there and we were waiting to leave and we were devastated.

And they are all on the coach with their shirts off, banging on the window at us.Like rubbing it in even more.I never forget that.I thought, not classy.Not classy.As long as we beat Argentina.

We've got to beat Argentina.I think we can beat Argentina.by the way.

Oh, I've got no problem with beating Argentina, James.I think even if we play the way we are playing at the moment, which is not bad, but it's not perfect.We're not coming off the pitch and going, oh, that was amazing.I think we can beat them.I just can't see us playing the way we're playing and getting anywhere near France or Spain.I agree.

How much do you need a fully fit Declan Rice back in the fray?

Yeah, definitely.I think we kept on changing.That's how good our squad is and how real we are.depth we've got is the amount of times he changed it yesterday as he comes on in midfield.All of a sudden he goes out wide, brings a forward back off, brings James in there.All of a sudden then James comes out as he goes wide, brings another midfield player in.

Our squad is very, very strong.Very strong.So make them kind of substitutions and keep on doing what we're doing.He's amazing, but I've got to have Declan fit.You knew he weren't fit, he didn't look right.I mean, he puts the ball on a sixpence for a corner for Arsenal.

He didn't even beat the first man the other day.I mean, I bet you were pulling your hair out, Jay.

Oh, honestly, but the thing is, he's so good, he's set pieces.I was saying to them, like, That's not quality, he's knackered, he's fatigued, he's not there.And Thomas Tuchel, fair play to him, he took him off.Because when you're watching Declan Rice hit the first man, not once, but like three times, you're going, something's not right with him.And you've got to make that decision.Because quality in the box from set pieces, that's what we're about.

Here's one for you, Mert.Would you not start Declan Rice in the next game?Fresh legs.

Declan Rice has got to play.It ain't fair.It ain't fair.Merce.Yeah, but I think he had an illness, didn't he?I think that's what it was.

I think he had an illness.He had a bug or something, I think it was.So, hopefully it was a bug.Trying to play with a bug in that kind of weather is near on impossible.So, for me, I think he'll be alright.My thing is, get your best players on the pitch.

get your best players on the pitch and if it isn't working we have the players to change it and come on and you know we're probably the only one of the only teams in the world of football that have got four or five subs that can come on and not really When they come on, you think, oh, that's it now.We ain't got no chance.Soundso's come on.You know, they are a top, top level.I think that's where we got a big advantage.But I played Declan Rice.

I think that might be an advantage.He's just missed virtually the whole game.He plays 45 minutes, misses the rest.So, hopefully, he'll be all right.But for me, he has to play.I might freshen up the winners and play Saka and Rashford, even though I thought Gordon did all right against, I thought, a half -decent fullback yesterday before he got injured.

And Saka's back, he played a big role yesterday coming off the bench.Are you concerned from an England and Arsenal perspective that he's clearly still not 100 % fit despite the fact he's been back for Arsenal since I think the end of April, start of May.Would that be a concern, the fact that he's clearly carrying issues?

Yeah, I mean he's played a lot of football over the last three or four years Saka, you know.It'll just want to play.I think you've got to get through this.These come around once in a blue moon.I know it come around every four years, but to get into the semi -final of the World Cup, I mean, I personally didn't think in my lifetime I'd see us lift the World Cup.You know, we keep on getting closer and closer.

You've just got, there's two more games.You know, it doesn't matter how much, how sore you are, how much you're hurting.You've got to get through these two games.It just, it's weird how, it might never happen again.It's just weird.Especially for players with injuries and form.

We've seen the players that have been left behind this time around.There's so many good players coming through.There's so much to choose from now.Years ago, there was 22 players.Now, there's 30, 40 players that you can choose from.I could have picked a team yesterday that didn't go or didn't play in the game that would have given Norway a proper, proper football match yesterday.

Look, if you get past Argentina, it could be Spain or, my goodness, France.Are England good enough to win it, Paul?

They're good enough to win it.They've got players good enough to win it, yeah.But... they have to be better.And I understand where 2Kool's coming from.They have to get the simple things right.Just the simple things like what I talked about earlier when the wingers are offside looking along the line.

That is just an absolute no -go.You know, we had momentum then at that time, and we sprayed the ball out wide and offside.I think if we can just nip in that, I just think, my only thing when I'm watching, and this is my, I don't want to be critical because we're in the semifinal of the World Cup and we've got a chance.Bart Bellenham, I see no movement.He's the only one.He makes unbelievable runs, but I don't see anything else.

I watched Spain the day before, and I watched France, and Alise, and Messi, and Mbappé.They have like 10 yards of space, and I watched Almo the other day.They have 10 yards of space.When I watch England, we're never in that amount of space.There's no movement.I call it Sibutio football.

You know, you kick off and all of a sudden the half -time whistle goes and everybody is in the same position they started when we kicked off.We need to be a little bit more fluid.And that's my worry with Spain and France.I just think their movement will be just too, too much for us.

Paul, thank you very much indeed.Enjoy Wednesday night and enjoy your days up until then.Chilling in the sunshine.

Yes, thank you.Jamie, have a good round of golf again today.See you later, Paul.See you when you're back, mate.He's already got his gear on.He's already got his gear on.

I've had my car broken in two.

He's only got a ball in his pocket.

They nicked my clothes.Paul, I come back to my car last night, they broke into my car and they nicked my clothes.

I'll bang out of order and they'll get home and go, what have we done?See you later, everyone.See you, Paul.Take care.Bye.Bye.