Thomas Tuchel has revealed he held clear-the-air talks with the England dressing room after Jude Bellingham's explosive TV interview following the World Cup quarter-final win over Norway. The England manager insisted the squad has moved on and said he would have reacted exactly like Bellingham in the same situation.
Bellingham's TV Outburst
Bellingham snapped live on television after being told that Tuchel had been highly critical of the team's performance and that they got 'lucky' in the quarter-final. The midfielder hit back at the manager by insisting that 'maybe he does not know what it is like to play in those conditions.' It is understood Bellingham was referring to the heat in Miami rather than Tuchel's lack of experience as a top-level player.
Tuchel's Response and Team Talks
Tuchel admitted he spoke to the squad immediately after the incident and again 24 hours later to clarify that he was not questioning their effort but was unhappy from a tactical perspective. '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,' Tuchel said. '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.'
Tuchel added: '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.'
Tuchel's Playing Career and Perspective
Tuchel also gave a fascinating insight into his life in football ahead of the biggest game of his career. Having never reached the heights as a player that he has enjoyed as a manager, the debate over whether you can be a top boss without having been a top player resurfaced. 'I don't think that you have to play,' said Tuchel. 'A funny quote: 'You don't have to be a horse to be a good jockey!''
Tuchel began his playing career in Augsburg's academy as a centre-half but did not make the grade. He was released as a teenager, later joined Bundesliga 2 side Stuttgart Kickers, moved to SSV Ulm, and eventually saw his playing career ended by injury. He ended up working as a barman while coaching and eventually got his break back at Augsburg. Despite his modest playing career, Tuchel has managed Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and now England.
Emotions on the Touchline
On the eve of the semi-final against Argentina, Tuchel revealed his passion on the touchline. 'I had a mediocre career, at best,' he said. When asked if that fueled his determination as a manager, he replied: 'No, I could never expect to have these experiences. These last two minutes, now even more with the national anthem, but these last two minutes before these football matches, I feel so alive. I don't want to be anywhere else in the world in these kinds of moments. I can really take that in and I will again in the game and in the build-up of the game. It can also be painful sometimes to be there. But overall, no, I would not say that it fuelled me. I'm just grateful that I still got the possibility. I would still like to have a player's career, that was my dream. I never thought about being a coach, never dreamt about being a coach on that kind of level, so I think this is basically the dream.'
Tuchel added: 'I just feel also on the sideline very humbled, and from time to time it just strikes me on the sideline right before the match: 'I couldn't play here on this occasion.' I had an FA Cup final with Chelsea, where you walk out, you have the tradition to walk out, so I was actually standing with the players out there, the national anthem and everything. I just felt like: 'wow.' It was a good moment for me to put into perspective what I then demand from just 10 metres on the other side of the sideline, but it felt so different. It felt so different, and I'm so close all the time, but just being there, I thought, 'wow'. I had the same moment in my first match that I coached in Dortmund, and I was there, four or five years as an opponent, so I knew the stadium. It was my first match as a Dortmund coach, and we opened the season against Gladbach, and I remember it. I was there again two minutes before the whistle goes, and I think: 'Wow, I'm so glad I don't have to play' because I would not have the legs now for it. So I think you need to be also a special breed if you want to play, and you go through academy football, but later, to take the last step to be in these moments… wow, that's an extra layer. I cannot praise enough the players who perform and put out physicality, who open their legs and feel free and put on a fight. It's so much easier said than done. I tell you, it goes in layers. If you see it on the TV, then you sit in the stadium, and every layer you go down and you sit on the bench, and then you stand there, it makes you more and more humble. But we're up for it.'
