Thomas Tuchel insists there are “no cracks” with Jude Bellingham and said the pair are closer than ever before despite the England star publicly hitting back at his manager.
The pair’s relationship has been under the microscope since the German coach said last summer that his mother found some of Bellingham’s on-field antics “repulsive.”
Tuchel apologised for that remark and Bellingham has sparkled under him this summer, taking his World Cup tally to six goals with his brace in the 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway in Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal.
– England weighing man-marking plan to stop Messi
– Kane rejects England ‘division,’ backs Bellingham
– England’s Guehi: Pressure on Argentina in semis
The head coach said he was “not happy with the performance” but the Real Madrid midfielder did not take it lying down, challenging his manager’s view as he called for positivity.
Tuchel revealed he spoke to the squad to clear the air the following day and said there are no issues whatsoever with Bellingham ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal against Argentina.
“I wonder who blows these things up, eh? So, there is nothing to blow up and if it’s blown up, it’s blown up in the media, of course,” he told talkSPORT.
“What do you expect of a player that just played 120 minutes and gave literally everything if you shorten the comment of his coach, if you don’t tell him that ‘he was world class,’ if you don’t tell him that ‘he has world class actions.’
“If you just cut all this and tell him ‘oh, your coach said you were sloppy’ what do you expect?”
He continued: “Yeah, of course you get the comment that you get and then you try to blow it up and people try to create misunderstandings and cracks where no cracks are.
“We come from the same place. We come from being competitive and I am a competitive coach. I push this team to the limit and that was my assessment.
“I think the question was unfair in this moment towards Jude because he cut all the compliments out of my assessment and just asked about the critical points, so I can understand.
“What do you expect of a player that just gave everything and stands there in front of a microphone in a flash interview?”
Tuchel added: “It’s just what it is but we’re as close as ever, and close more than ever before.
“You can see that on the field. The energy and mentality in camp is excellent in the last days and we are ready to go for it tomorrow.”
Some of the comments frustrated Bellingham made after the Norway win appeared to relate to Tuchel’s playing career.
The 23-year-old said: “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions” against players like Erling Haaland.
Tuchel freely admits he had a “mediocre career at best” but does not feel it has impacted his ability to coach.
“I would still like to have a player’s career, that was my dream,” he said.
“I never thought about being a coach, never dreamt about being a coach on that kind of level, so I think this is basically the dream.
“I just feel also on the sideline very humbled, and from time to time it just strikes me on the sideline right before the match ‘I couldn’t play here on this occasion.’
“I don’t think that you have to play [to be a coach]. A funny quote, you don’t have to be a horse to be a good jockey!'”
