Top News

Thomas Tuchel has emphasised that there are “no cracks” in his relationship with Jude Bellingham, insisting the two share a stronger bond than ever despite the England star’s recent public response to his manager’s comments.

Their dynamic has been closely observed since last summer, when the German coach admitted that his mother found some of Bellingham’s emotional on-field reactions “repulsive”.

Tuchel later apologised for the remark, and Bellingham has since thrived under his leadership, increasing his World Cup goal tally to six after scoring twice in England’s 2-1 extra-time win over Norway in Saturday’s quarter-final.

Although Tuchel stated he was “not happy with the performance”, the Real Madrid midfielder did not shy away from challenging that assessment, calling for a more positive approach following the match.

The coach revealed that he addressed the entire squad the following day to clear the air and confirmed that there are no tensions with Bellingham ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final clash against Argentina.

“I wonder who blows these things up, eh? There’s really nothing to exaggerate, and if it is blown up, then it’s definitely the media doing it,” Tuchel told talkSPORT.

“What do you expect from a player who’s just played 120 minutes and given absolutely everything, especially if you shorten his coach’s comments and skip the part where I said he was world class or that he had world-class moments?” he explained.

“If you just cut all that and tell him, ‘your coach said you were sloppy’, what do you expect him to say?”

Tuchel continued: “Of course, you’ll get the kind of response you get, and people then try to blow it up further, creating misunderstandings and cracks where none exist.

“We’re both extremely competitive. I’m a demanding coach who pushes his team to the limit, and that was simply my evaluation of the performance.”

He went on to add, “I think the question directed at Jude was unfair at that moment, because it ignored all the compliments in my analysis and only focused on criticism. So, I understand his reaction. What can you expect from a player who’s just given everything and is standing in front of a microphone right after the game?”

Tuchel concluded, “That’s just how it is, but we’re as close as ever — perhaps even closer now. You can see it on the pitch. The energy and spirit in the camp have been fantastic over the past few days, and we’re ready to go again tomorrow.”

Following the win over Norway, some of Bellingham’s post-match remarks appeared to reference Tuchel’s own playing career.

The 23-year-old midfielder said, “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions,” referring to facing players like Erling Haaland.

Tuchel, who has previously described his playing career as “mediocre at best”, admitted as much but insisted that it does not diminish his coaching ability.

“I would have loved to have had a player’s career—that was always my dream,” he said. “I never imagined becoming a coach, let alone at this level, so in a way, this is the real dream come true.”

“Even now, standing on the sidelines, I often feel humbled. Sometimes before a match, I think to myself, ‘I couldn’t have played here at this level’. But I don’t believe you need to have played professionally to be a good coach. As the saying goes, you don’t have to be a horse to be a good jockey!”