England manager Thomas Tuchel has played down any disagreement with Jude Bellingham ahead of the World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. The Three Lions secured a 2-1 victory over Norway after extra time in Miami on Saturday, with Bellingham scoring both goals to take his tournament tally to six.
Tuchel's criticism and Bellingham's response
After the match, Tuchel expressed disappointment with the team's overall performance, stating they were lucky to progress despite their mentality and commitment. When Bellingham was informed of Tuchel's comments, he told ITV: 'Yeah well, whatever. It’s difficult out there, it’s a tough shift, all the players have put in a very tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a great shift yet again.' In another interview, he added: 'Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in these conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth. That’s not an easy team to play against.'
Tuchel explains the situation
Tuchel clarified that Bellingham was only presented with the negative aspects of his post-match comments, not the praise he also gave. 'No problem. I spoke to the whole team after, which was basically the same message,' said the England boss. 'And I explained it again yesterday to just move on. Then, straight away, we talked about Argentina. Our comments come from the same place, from having the edge when competition is on. He (Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side. I called him a world-class player. I said he had produced world-class actions again, that the mentality of this team is outstanding. All of that was not part of the question. So he was confronted with, “What do you think? The coach said you were sloppy”. I’d maybe bite back if I came from 120 minutes, scored two, gave everything. It’s a normal reaction for a player of his mindset.'
Kane backs Bellingham
England captain Harry Kane also dismissed any rift, calling Bellingham's reaction normal under the circumstances. 'When you play a game like that, and get asked a question straight after the final whistle when he hasn’t known what the manager has said, it’s like, what do you want Jude to say?' Kane said. 'It’s easy to try to create this division, it seems to be an English thing to do at these tournaments. But we’re where we are because of our togetherness. Not just the players but the coach, staff and everyone involved.'
Upcoming semi-final
England will face Argentina at 8pm UK time on Wednesday in Atlanta. The winners will meet Spain in Sunday's final after Spain defeated France 2-0 on Tuesday night.
