Jude Bellingham needed just one word to respond to Thomas Tuchel's anger at England's display against Norway: 'Whatever'. It was a remarkable response from Bellingham and will no doubt lead to awkward questions over the relationship between the England manager and his star player.
Bellingham's Heroics Secure Victory
The Real Madrid superstar was England's hero in Miami as they downed old pal Erling Haaland and a resolute Norwegian side, scoring twice including a first-half equaliser and an extra-time winner. Ironically, as 'Hey Jude' swirled around the Miami Stadium, Tuchel let rip at his players when interviewed by ITV. The German wasn't pleased with what he had seen from his side, unhappy with a performance that had seen them fall behind and then have a VAR overturn to thank for them not falling 2-1 down in the second half.
Tuchel's Criticism
Tuchel said: 'We made life very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic, we're in the last four, it's amazing, but no, I'm not happy with the performance. In every sense. The commitment is there but we made life very difficult for us, in the way we played, how we played. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today. It's not mentality. It's not about mentality. The quality of our game. It's nothing to do with mentality.' And Tuchel insisted: 'We will get better. We need to get better.'
Tuchel Praises Bellingham
Asked by ITV's Gabriel Clarke about Bellingham's performance, Tuchel was extremely complimentary about the man of the match, declaring: 'Enough said. He does it every single match. World class.' In contrast, Bellingham, when asked about England's progress and what got them there, said: 'Character, perseverance, even when things weren't working. We found the way to win the game again. Whether it's in 90, 120, we'll give everything we've got. You saw that there. So proud of this team once again. It was a victory for everyone. The whole country wins. Everyone is behind us. It's a huge shift for everyone.'
Bellingham's Dismissive Response
And when the subject of Tuchel being unhappy with his team and disappointed with the performance was presented to England's No. 10 - who now has six goals to his name in the tournament - Bellingham responded: 'Yeah, well, whatever. 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 goes to the players who have put in a tough shift once again.'
