England star Bellingham slammed Tuchel on live TV after he was told he had harshly criticized his team’s play and suggested they were “lucky” to win in the quarter-finals. Bellingham hit back at his manager, claiming, “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions.” However, his comments are understood to be a reference to the sweltering heat, rather than questioning Tuchel’s quality as a player.
Tuchel revealed that he addressed the whole team immediately afterwards and again 24 hours later, making it abundantly clear that he was not questioning the team’s efforts, but rather dissatisfied with their tactical approach.
“I think we’re coming from the same place. Our comments come from the same place of being competitive and having an advantage when the competition is on,” Tuchel said.
“So he just faced the negative side, which was often a criticism of my team. I called him a world-class player, I said he acted world-class again to decide the game, and I also said the mentality of this team is outstanding.”
“All that stuff wasn’t part of the question, and I understand that. So he was confronted with, ‘What do you think? Coach said you were sloppy.’
“Of course, after 120 minutes and scoring two goals and literally giving everything in me, I might flip out too. That’s very normal, a very normal reaction for a player with his mindset.”
“So no problem. I spoke to the whole team. I had a debriefing. I spoke to the whole team in the dressing room and it was basically the same message.
“Then the next night I gave another briefing to move forward. And in the discussion we immediately decided on a new direction and put on a new head. That’s the semi-final, and then Argentina.”
