Thomas Tuchel reveals clear-the-air talks with Jude Bellingham after World Cup spat following England win over Norway
THOMAS TUCHEL tried to clear the air with Jude Bellingham following their public World Cup spat.
The England boss was critical of his Three Lions’ display in Saturday’s 2-1 last-eight win over Norway.
Hitting back, two-goal hero midfielder Bellingham said: “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in these conditions.”
But Tuchel says he understood the stroppy response after the extra-time triumph in Miami.
Ahead of tonight’s semi-final with Argentina, he said: “No problem. I spoke to the whole team after, which was basically the same message.
“And I explained it again yesterday to just move on. Then, straight away, we talked about Argentina.
“Our comments come from the same place — from having the edge when competition is on.
“He (Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side.
“I called him a world-class player. I said he had produced world-class actions again — that the mentality of this team is outstanding.
“All of that was not part of the question. So he was confronted with, ‘What do you think? The coach said you were sloppy’.
“I’d maybe bite back if I came from 120 minutes, scored two, gave everything. It’s a normal reaction for a player of his mindset.”
Captain Harry Kane also played down any tension between the pair.
Kane told ITV: “When you play a game like that, and get asked a question straight after the final whistle when he hasn’t known what the manager has said, it’s like, what do you want Jude to say?
“It’s easy to try to create this division, it seems to be an English thing to do at these tournaments.
“But we’re where we are because of our togetherness. Not just the players but the coach, staff and everyone involved.”