Jude Bellingham's stunning World Cup performances have come amid his seemingly tense relationship with England manager Thomas Tuchel. It seems incredible now, given his virtuoso performances in North America, but Bellingham wasn't regarded as a definite starter ahead of the tournament. Morgan Rogers was seen as a credible alternative in the number 10 role. Potentially fired up by the doubt over his starting place, Bellingham has grabbed the tournament by the scruff of the neck to propel England into a semi-final for the ages against Argentina.
Tuchel's 'Repulsive' Remark
Tuchel raised eyebrows last summer by describing Bellingham's behaviour on the pitch as 'repulsive' and revealed his mother wasn't a fan of the Real Madrid star. He said: 'If he smiles, he wins everyone. But sometimes you see the rage, you see the hunger and the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV. I see that.' Tuchel later set the record straight, insisting he didn't mean to use the word 'repulsive.' Speaking in August, he said: 'I used this word unintentionally, just to make it very clear. There was no message. There was no hidden agenda.' Tuchel then left Bellingham out of the October training camp, raising doubts over whether he would even make the World Cup squad.
Intimidating Team-Mates
Tuchel also challenged Bellingham to channel his 'fire' into intimidating opponents rather than his team-mates. The England boss suggested his demonstrative demeanour wasn't always directed in the right way, telling talkSPORT: 'He brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things. The edge needs to be channelled towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate team-mates or to be overaggressive towards team-mates or referees. He has the fire. I don't want to dim this down. But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you. Maybe even as a team-mate. And you see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way and we can help him in this, then for sure he has something that we need. He has a certain edge that is hard to find.'
World Cup Dig
Tuchel's immediate criticism of England's performance in the win over Norway didn't appear to sit well with Bellingham, whose two goals came in scorching heat in Miami. After those comments were put to Bellingham, he tersely replied: 'Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth. They're not an easy team to play against.' Tuchel openly admits he had a 'mediocre career at best' but does not feel it has impacted his ability to coach. He revealed he spoke to the squad to clear the air the day after the Norway match and claims there are no issues with Bellingham ahead of the semi-final. Harry Kane has also dismissed talk of any division in the squad and spoke of a 'complete togetherness' ahead of one of the biggest games in the country’s history.
