Thomas Tuchel has admitted he held clear-the-air talks with the England dressing room following Jude Bellingham's explosive television interview. The Three Lions manager insisted the squad has already 'moved on' and revealed he would have reacted in exactly the same way as Bellingham after England's thrilling World Cup victory over Norway.
Bellingham's Explosive Interview
England star Bellingham hit out live on air after being informed that Tuchel had been sharply critical of the team's display and suggested they had been 'lucky' in their quarter-final triumph. Bellingham fired back at his manager, asserting that 'maybe he does not know what it is like to play in those conditions.' It is understood, however, that his remarks referred to the sweltering heat rather than any questioning of Tuchel's playing credentials.
Tuchel's Response
Tuchel disclosed that he addressed the squad collectively in the immediate aftermath and again 24 hours later, making it abundantly clear that he was not casting doubt on their commitment but was dissatisfied with their tactical approach. Tuchel said: 'I think we come from the same place. Our comments come from the same place from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on. So he was just confronted with the negative side, often with a critique of my side. I called him a world-class player, that I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match, that I said the mentality is outstanding of this team. All of that was not part of the question. I get it. So he was confronted with 'what do you think, the coach said you were sloppy.' Of course, I would maybe also bite back when I come from 120 minutes, scored two goals, gave literally everything that is in my body. It's just a very normal thing, a very normal reaction for a player of his mindset.'
Moving Forward
'So no problem. I spoke to the whole team. We debriefed. I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message. And I explained it again the next evening to just move on forward. And then we straight away in the talk put on a new direction, put on a new head, which is semi-final and Argentina.'
