Jude Bellingham spat with Thomas Tuchel, UK reaction

England’s bid for an historic second FIFA World Cup title is resting on the shoulders of star man Jude Bellingham.

The 23-year old is putting together one of the great campaigns by an Englishman, with his match-winning brace in the Three Lions’ tense quarter-final win over Norway bringing his tally to six for the tournament.

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But dominating the headlines in the lead-in to a semi final date with reigning champions Argentina has been a public spat between Bellingham and manager Thomas Tuchel, with the midfielder taking umbrage with some pointed post-game comments from the fiery German.

The situation between the gaffer and the team’s biggest superstar is enough to send shivers down the spine of a notriously pessimistic nation, when it comes to major football tournaments.

“England are going to have to be all in together, and the spikiness of the match-winner’s post-game interviews needlessly risks that,” wrote football scribe Miguel Delaney in The Independent.

“They didn’t feel there was any need for Bellingham to react, and there’s even the inferred dismissal of Tuchel’s playing career, which can be a sore point for some coaches. There have been hints of it in the manager’s past, especially in his relationship around some of the big Bayern Munich figures.

“Talk could rise of the famous “brotherhood” being broken, of a split at the top.

“Tuchel likes dressing rooms with strong voices and personality, where his squad are willing to talk to him.

“But this wasn’t the dressing room. It was in public, and would normally have represented a challenge to authority. And that in a tactically fractured team.”

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After his side’s escape against Norway, Tuchel chose to use his post-match interview to heap criticism on his players’ performance.

“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” the 52-year old said.

“The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but I’m not happy with the performance.

“The commitment is there, but it made life very, very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, lots of safety, not fast enough, not enough. We were lucky today.”

When told about the comments in his own interview, Bellingham replied: “Whatever.

“It’s difficult out there. It’s a tough shift. All the players are putting in a tough shift. So my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who put in a good shift out there.”

In a post-match press conference, he later added: “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Ødegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sørloth.”

The comments have been seen by many as a not-so-subtle dig at Tuchel’s unspectacular professional football career, primarily for German third-tier team SSV Ulm in the 1990s.

For The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, the straight-talking, blunt-as-an-axe Tuchel’s main problem is fitting in with a softer English football culture.

“Tuchel has rubbed up against classic English reserve,” wrote Steinberg.

“His candour feels bracing, unsuitable even.

“What would Gareth Southgate have done? He would have spoken about England breaking down barriers and making more history. He would have spoken softly and sensitively.

“Tuchel is completely different. He tells it like it is and does not worry too much if it causes offence.”

The Times correspondent Martin Samuel questioned whether Tuchel should have made his team criticism public.

“Managers aren’t employed to be cheerleaders,” he wrote.

“While agreeing with Tuchel, it is also possible to understand how players who had given their all in extreme conditions across two hours might have welcomed a little more positivity, at least until the dressing room door was closed.

“His reputation has always been that of a firebrand. A stellar career has been dotted with turmoil, often caused by confrontation, and this was surely priced in when he took the job. His players have always just had to accept that.”

“Tuchel’s a bold manager and tough love is the bold move. But it’s not without risk.”

Writing in The Telegraph, Alan Tyers was of a similar mind.

“He might have been better advised to keep some of his criticism behind closed doors. But that’s life. People react,” Tyers wrote.

“If he thinks that he, or anyone else, can make England technically better at football in three days, then he is deluded. You go to war with the army you have.

“When England play Argentina and either France or Spain, they are going to be facing better, more precise, silkier players. England absolutely have a chance, but it’s a puncher’s chance against France or Spain, especially, and if England do win it, they will do it on vibes and moments of magic from Harry Kane and Bellingham.

“That is where we are and I refuse to believe that a man of Tuchel’s experience cannot see that.”

However, Tyers also dismissed any suggestion the war of words could hamper England’s bid for a first World Cup title since 1966.

“If England’s morale is really so delicate that their camp can be divided by a few seconds’ chat with a TV reporter, then they are not going to beat anyone decent anyway,” he wrote.

“The backstory between Tuchel and Bellingham suggests they are not exactly sending each other a Christmas card. But if Jude Bellingham sees Thomas Tuchel’s narky, critical face on the ball as he smashes it past Emiliano Martínez then great. Tuchel will take that and so would we.”

However, Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, who interviewed Bellingham and prompted his response to Tuchel’s criticism in the first place, argued that the superstar sticking up for his teammates might have been exactly what the German wanted to extract from him.

“Bellingham speaking up for his team-mates, praising their efforts and sheer will to win was admirable. And ironically, it was exactly the sort of collective-feeling Tuchel had been calling for from the Real man for months,” Dorsett wrote.

“So, forget any suggestion there is a rift between Tuchel and Bellingham. There isn’t. There are just two hyper-competitive, super-passionate sportsmen, at the top of their game, driving each other to new heights.

“This love-hate relationship has been going on ever since The Football Association appointed a new head coach 18 months ago.

“Everything you have seen from the two, and between the two, men is positive, it’s healthy, and it’s great news for England in their hopes of winning the World Cup.”

Bellingham, meanwhile, has been collecting universal acclaim for his deeds in North America, with a series of former greats suggesting he could stake a claim as England’s greatest ever if he keeps up his current form for two more matches.

85-cap former England right back Gary Neville said Bellingham’s performance against Norway gave him ‘goosebumps’.

“He has been absolutely sensational,” Gary Neville told Sky Sports.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an England player have an influence in a tournament like that.

“I was with Gazza [Paul Gascoigne] in 1996. I was with [Wayne] Rooney in 2004, I was with Michael Owen in 1998. I watched those things live and I’ve never seen anything like this.

“This is absolutely exceptional. It’s at the highest level.

“This isn’t England’s next superstar. This is England’s superstar right now. This is happening.

“You’re performing in a World Cup. You scored six goals. You’ve literally been unbelievable, both in attack and defence. You got your team through almost single-handedly with the support of Harry Kane.

“He’s 23 years of age. It is absolutely monumental what that lad is doing.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, places Bellingham’s deeds alongside Harry Kane’s.

“After the round of 32, I suggested Kane might become England’s greatest-ever footballer if he wins the World Cup,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.

“I stand by that, but if it happens it will be a short-lived reign at the top. By the end of his career, Bellingham will have that honour.”

Bellingham and the Three Lions face Argentina and Lionel Messi, who has never before faced England, in Atlanta on Thursday morning (AEST).

The winner will face either France or Spain in the final.

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