Jude Bellingham needed just one word: “Whatever” to respond to Thomas Tuchel’s anger at England’s performance against Norway.
It was a surprising response from Bellingham and will no doubt lead to awkward questions about the England manager’s relationship with his star player.
The Real Madrid superstar was a hero for England in Miami, defeating his old friend Erling Haaland and a stout Norwegian team, scoring twice, including the equalizer in the first half and the deciding goal in extra time, in a 2-1 victory.
Ironically, Tuchel lashed out at his players in an interview on ITV as “Hey Jude” echoed around Miami Stadium. The German was not satisfied with what he saw from his team, nor was he satisfied with the performance that saw them go from behind 2-1 in the second half only to be reversed by VAR.
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“Today was a very difficult situation for ourselves. The result is great. It’s great to be in the last four, but no, I’m not satisfied with the performance,” Tuchel said.
“In every sense of the word. The commitment is there, but in the way we played and the way we played, it was very difficult for us. We were sloppy, we made a lot of technical mistakes, we weren’t fast enough, we weren’t repetitive enough. We were lucky today.”
Asked by interviewer Gabriel Clarke if it was a mental issue, Tuchel said: “This is pure mental. How can you ask about mental health? There is no mental issue. This is pure. You can bottle it and sell it. It has nothing to do with mental health. It’s the quality of our game. It has nothing to do with mental health.”
And manager Tuchel insisted, “We will definitely get better. We need to get better.”
Thomas Tuchel was not happy. (Image: ITV)
Asked by ITV’s Gabriel Clarke about Bellingham’s performance, Tuchel was highly complimentary of the man of the match, declaring: “Enough is enough. He does it every game. He’s world class.”
In contrast, Bellingham was asked about England’s progress and its contributing factors: “Character, perseverance, even when things didn’t go our way. We found a way to win the game again. Whether it’s 90 points or 120 points, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. You saw it there. I’m proud of this team again.”
“It was a win for everyone. The whole country won. Everyone supported us. It’s a big change for everyone.”
And when the subject of Tuchel being dissatisfied with his team and disappointed with their performance was brought up to England’s No. 10, who has scored six goals in this competition, Bellingham responded:
“It’s a tough situation. It’s a tough shift. All the players put in a very tough shift. I send my thoughts and gratitude to the players who put in another tough shift.”
Indeed, Bellingham and Tuchel never seemed to be singing from the same hymn sheet, despite their outstanding performances in individual tournaments and England’s run to the last four.
“I love both interviews,” said ITV pundit Gary Neville. “Honestly, I think Thomas Tuchel played great and Jude Bellingham’s reaction was great.”
Roy Keane added: “The manager is honest and the players are honest too.”
For Neville, Tuchel’s comments and Bellingham’s counterattack come from a situation where the manager hasn’t quite gotten the collective performance he wants from his team, but his star men in Harry Kane and Bellingham are doing enough to get the team through – and now, with two “huge egos” both saying what they think is necessary after a draining night, one of them ultimately succeeded.
“Throughout the tournament, the whole team wasn’t fair in terms of combinations and rhythm of passing,” Neville said. “What we’ve seen is that Bellingham and Cain have one or two exceptional people.
“By the way, what you saw in these two interviews is huge egos. You only see that when you have world-class players and a world-class manager, because to do what these two have done you have to be extraordinary. And it’s great that England have got both of them.”
Jude Bellingham scores twice again (Image: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
After winning the Man of the Match award, Bellingham further challenged his manager’s views, declaring: “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play against Erling Haaland,[Martin]Odegaard,[Antonio]Nusa and[Alexander]Soros in those conditions.” It’s not an easy team to play against.
“So I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment and we should continue to do that as we move toward the top four. I can’t praise our players enough. You can’t pop the ball and make a thousand passes and win every game. Sometimes you have to have a dirty win, and we did that tonight.”
Asked if he agreed with manager Tuchel’s assessment that England were lucky, he replied: “No comment.”
Jude Bellingham leads England to the semi-finals (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
However, Wayne Rooney agreed with the England manager, saying: “We’re all pleased that England got through, but it wasn’t a great performance but they found a way.
“I love that interview[with Tuchel]. I thought he was spot on in terms of mentality. The character of the players got us through that game because Norway were the better team for most of that game.”
And Rooney thought it was all about making sure the team was ready to move forward. Because for the rest of the match, the opponent’s standards will rise significantly.
“I think he did it to show everyone that he wasn’t performing well enough, to show the players that he wasn’t performing well enough,” Rooney added. “Even if he gets to the semi-finals or the final, he knows he can’t get through with a performance like that.
“They were stronger than Norway and I think he did that on purpose. When you play against Spain, France, Argentina and Switzerland, who are also big threats in this tournament, you can’t afford not to play well. What they do is take the ball away, work it and punish them. Norway took advantage of their chances and didn’t punish England.”
“Tuchel’s play was once again very clever. It’s like the first time we’ve seen that throughout this tournament.”
Asked about Tuchel’s comments after Tuchel spoke to the players in the dressing room, England captain Kane said: “He just said a big congratulations in the dressing room. We should enjoy and celebrate, but he said there was a part of him that knew we could do more.”
“In a way, this is good, because we are in the semi-finals of the World Cup where we know we can still improve and find another level. We have to take it positively.”
Kane might do that, but Bellingham might not.
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