Bellingham: The Man for Tough Times
Jude Bellingham carried England to the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup in North America, but criticism from manager Thomas Tuchel regarding the “Three Lions’” level reignited tensions between the two ahead of Wednesday’s match against defending champions Argentina.
In Miami’s stifling heat on Saturday against Norway, England appeared exhausted but managed to squeeze through the bottleneck to reach the semifinals, prompting Tuchel to admit his team was “lucky” to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
Bellingham rescued the Three Lions by scoring two goals, as he had in the 3-2 victory over Mexico, one of the three host nations, six days earlier, covering up the flaws in England’s performance.
The German manager said, “We found our way into the final four. That is, of course, the most important thing, but my analytical mind and the football coach inside me still believe we are capable of playing better football, and we have already shown that.”
He added, “No one ever denies that you need a bit of luck to go far in cup competitions. That’s just how I felt.”
Bellingham did not take kindly to this assessment, especially after both teams had to endure 120 minutes in harsh conditions, made even more difficult by the high humidity in South Florida.
Bellingham responded, “Maybe (Tuchel) doesn’t know what it means to play in such conditions,” a remark that seemed to target the German’s modest playing career.
He continued, “I think we tried to create a positive atmosphere, and we must keep doing that as we head into the semifinals. I can’t praise the players enough. You don’t win every game by keeping possession and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win the hard way, and we did that again.”
This is not the first time the two have entered a public dispute; Bellingham’s place in the starting lineup was already in doubt before the tournament began.
A year ago, Tuchel said his own mother found some of Bellingham’s on-field behavior “disgusting,” and that he sometimes engaged in bullying, even toward his teammates.
The former Chelsea manager later apologized for his comments, and his actions showed he had put the matter behind him after building the team around Bellingham and captain Harry Kane.
