The Tuchel–Bellingham clash became the story after England's 2-1 win over Norway on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel branded the quarter-final display "sloppy". Match-winner Jude Bellingham, who scored twice, hit back at his manager in Miami.
The Tuchel–Bellingham clash became the story after England's 2-1 win over Norway on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel branded the quarter-final display "sloppy". Match-winner Jude Bellingham, who scored twice, hit back at his manager in Miami.
The celebrations in Miami were overshadowed by an open split between coach and player. Tuchel, speaking to broadcasters at full-time, refused to gloss over the display.
"The result is fantastic, we are in the last four, it's amazing, but I'm not happy with the performance," Tuchel said. "Again the commitment is there but we made life very-very difficult for ourselves in the way we played, how we played: sloppy, a lot of tactical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough."
Bellingham, named man of the match, offered a sharp response when told of his manager's verdict.
"Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa, Sorloth," the midfielder said. "That's not an easy team to play against. So, I think we've tried to create a positive environment."
He defended the team's approach directly. "You're not going to win every game, popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty, and we've done that again tonight."
Temperatures in South Florida were reported at around 33 degrees Celsius before kick-off, and the tie went to 120 minutes. Ezri Konsa struggled with cramps, while Tuchel withdrew Declan Rice at half-time to push more players forward.
At his press conference the German rejected any suggestion of a rift. Asked whether he agreed the players had put in a big shift, Tuchel replied: "Absolutely, no one disputes that."
"I'm impressed with the shift that they put in, the effort, team spirit, the belief, and to overcome adversity and to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level," he added. "But I'm also a football coach, and I think we can play better. In general, I think it was not a high-level game."
Tuchel was warmer about his match-winner. "It was a world-class performance from a world-class player in big, big moments," he said.
It is not the first friction between the two. A year ago, Tuchel said even his own mother found some of Bellingham's on-field conduct "repulsive", before later apologising.
Bellingham has now scored six goals at the tournament, matching Kane at the top of England's charts. He could edge ahead of his captain on Wednesday, in Atlanta, when England face Argentina in the semi-finals.
