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FA insiders have insisted there are ‘no problems’ between head coach Thomas Tuchel and star man Jude Bellingham after the two delivered differing verdicts on England’s nail-biting victory over Norway in the searing heat of Miami.
The German branded his side ‘lucky’ after Bellingham’s brace and help from both VAR and a spider camera cable saw them creep past the spirited Scandinavians after extra-time.
But the Real Madrid talisman, who now has six goals for the tournament, appeared to dismiss his head coach’s comments, declaring simply ‘whatever’ before hailing England’s ability to ‘win dirty’.
Bellingham also questioned whether Tuchel knew ‘what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions’ against the likes of Erling Haaland.
However, FA officials are relaxed about the situation and say there are ‘no problems’ between the pair. The view within the camp is that, as is often the case in the immediate aftermath of a high-stakes game, emotions run high with time limited and that – through the fault of no-one – Bellingham was not made aware of the full context of Tuchel’s comments.
Indeed, the head coach, who was yet to speak to his men in the dressing room, had given an impassioned defence of their mentality and will to win while also adding that there were elements of the performance that had disappointed him.
Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel saw England’s win over Norway very differently
The belief is that the pair remain on the same page, are serial winners and will continue to work closely together as England bid for a place in the World Cup Final against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Indeed, in a later press conference, when asked about Bellingham’s performance, Tuchel responded: ‘World-class performance from a world-class player. In big, big moments and crucial moments. So, absolutely top class.’
Earlier, Tuchel had answered ‘in every sense’ when asked what he was unimpressed with from his men. ‘The commitment is there but we made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played. Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough.’
Bellingham, who scored his fifth and sixth goals of what is already a stunning tournament, appeared to be singing from a different hymn sheet.
‘Maybe,’ he said when asked if the criticism was justified. ‘But maybe he (Tuchel) doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth. That’s not an easy team to play against. So, I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment. We should continue that going into the final four. I can’t speak highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game, popping the ball and making 1,000 passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we’ve done that again tonight.’
Tuchel was quick to play peacemaker when informed of his talisman’s comments. ‘No one suggests that I’m not impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, the spirit, the belief,’ he said. ‘To overcome adversity and to dig in and to find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level. They cannot get enough praise for that. But I’m also a football coach and I think we can play better.’
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