England manager Thomas Tuchel will examine the furious reaction of Jude Bellingham, who was substituted during the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Albania. The Real Madrid star was sent off in the closing stages of the final World Cup qualifier, being replaced by Morgan Rodgers with six minutes remaining in regulation time.
The former Chelsea head coach sympathized with the midfielder’s reaction, saying most professional footballers dislike being taken off. But he insists he doesn’t want to make the incident “bigger than it is.” It marks the latest flashpoint in the smoldering saga between the England sensation and the manager, with the World Cup just around the corner.
The 22-year-old played just 25 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze clinching their place in this summer’s World Cup.
In contrast to the Wembley game, Bellingham was given a starting spot and played nearly 90 minutes.
Despite this, he was sent off in the closing stages, immediately after receiving a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Armando Broja, and was furious at the decision.
“Yes, he didn’t like it, but no one likes it,” Tuchel declared. “But it is what it is. Morgan (Rogers) didn’t want to be out, he didn’t deserve to be out, but that was the decision. Jude also had a yellow card, but before the second goal I made the decision and the decision was confirmed.”
“I didn’t look at it that way. We need to look at it. I understand he’s not happy. I don’t think we want to make it any bigger than it is at the moment. If you have a player like Jude who is competitive to a certain extent and never likes it. I’m right. We value standards, levels, commitment to each other and we respect each other. We’re not going to change our decision just because someone throws their arm around us.”
Harry Kane added to England’s goal tally with two second-half goals, and the Three Lions finished qualifying with a perfect record.
It was their eighth win of the season and they continued their remarkable feat of keeping a clean sheet throughout the entire qualifying period.
But that success risks being overshadowed by a new controversy involving Bellingham and Tuchel. It comes just days after the manager made it clear that he expects his players to express their displeasure if they are left out of the starting lineup.
“You can be mad at the manager, you can be mad at the situation, but if you look at the countries that won and the clubs that won the Champions League, the benches are standing up,” he said.
“For the last eight to 10 minutes, there wasn’t anybody sitting there thinking, ‘I should be on the field, I should be on the field, why am I not there?'” They’re just there. We experienced this once in a great game against Chelsea, it was non-stop, everyone was pushing off the bench and fighting, even if they weren’t selected, and we were all ready.
“This ultimately makes the difference and I strongly, strongly believe that we should arrive with such a team. Even if they are disappointed, it is completely normal. They will never be happy and they do not need to be happy. Nobody is used to sitting on the bench. This is the nature of a strong national team.”
Tuchel has already been forced to apologize to Bellingham since officially taking over as manager in January.
The German manager was put under pressure after revealing his mother found the England star’s anger “disgusting”.
However, he clarified that he had used the term unintentionally.
“I used this word unintentionally, but only to clarify it,” he clarified. “There was no message. There was no hidden agenda. I fully understand and understand that it was my responsibility to create these headlines. I am sorry for any upset I caused and I am also sorry for the headlines that I created.”
“I should have known better and I should have done better because I have so much experience. I thought the fact that I was doing this much in a second language would give you (the media) a little more credibility.”
“The morning after I lost, I was sleep-deprived and spoke in a live interview and used the wrong words. Again, it’s my fault.”
