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Thomas Tuchel lobbed a grenade into the mix. Jude Bellingham picked it up and threw it back. There was an explosion of honesty in Miami, where everyone was struggling to maintain composure in the stifling humidity, and it needs to be dealt with before England try to reach a men’s World Cup final for the first time on foreign soil.
It is time for cool heads. Tuchel was searing in his immediate analysis of England’s quarter-final win over Norway, telling ITV’s Gabriel Clarke that the performance was sloppy, not fast enough and full of technical mistakes. Praise for the side’s mentality was there but slightly lost in the noise. It was the criticism that Bellingham was asked about and the way he responded, punching back at Tuchel’s comments with some forthrightness of his own, ran the risk of England’s campaign falling down because of a public disagreement between the head coach and the star player.
Bellingham was curt in one interview, shrugging and raising his eyebrows before saying: “Yeah, well, whatever … it’s difficult out there,” and went further in another. “Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those kind of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Ødegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sørloth,” the midfielder said, a comment interpreted in some quarters as aiming a dig at Tuchel’s modest playing career.
It felt like an unnecessary reaction from Bellingham, not least because it dragged attention away from England setting up an epic semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. The inevitable worry is it indicated that the tensions in his relationship with Tuchel have not been fully repaired.
Has Tuchel’s comment about Bellingham’s “repulsive” behaviour really been consigned to the past? In the heat of the moment there were hints that Bellingham is yet to forget. It would be understandable if grievances have been stored up. Tuchel took a hard line last autumn, dropping Bellingham from the squad. There was talk of team dynamics and the dressing room hierarchy coming first. The onus was on Bellingham to adapt and he rose to the challenge, meeting Tuchel’s demands and forcing his way back into the XI before becoming England’s driving force at this tournament.
Yet the latest episode of Thomas versus Jude does not have to descend into a drama. The first thing to say is there was nothing that unusual about Tuchel’s initial remarks. He is always candid with the media, always insightful, and in Miami it was easy to see his takedown of England’s performance as a classic managerial psychological play.
Tuchel wants to put a second star on the shirt. Reaching the last four is not enough for him. He wants to drive standards and in that sense his comments were a form of shock therapy. There was no faking it. The fact is that England were lucky to beat Norway, who were superior for much of normal time, and Tuchel’s comments were reminiscent of the type of confrontational leadership deployed by José Mourinho in his pomp.
Perhaps that feels unusual in an era where some managers feel a need to be sensitive with modern players. But Tuchel is elite. His fury was delivered with a smirk. He knew what he was doing. It is a tactic used by so many of the greats. We have seen it from Pep Guardiola, who would often take interviewers to task if he thought they were giving Manchester City undue praise. Sir Alex Ferguson could also be acerbic in victory; he even criticised his Aberdeen side after a win in a final.
There are two problems here, though. The first is that Tuchel has rubbed up against classic English reserve. His candour feels bracing, unsuitable even. What would Gareth Southgate have done? He would have spoken about England breaking down barriers and making more history. He would have spoken softly and sensitively. Tuchel is completely different. He tells it like it is and does not worry too much if it causes offence.
Enter Jude. This is where the second issue lies – the risk of a clash between two massive egos. Consider Bellingham’s position. He is 23 and had just scored twice in consecutive knockout ties. It is not a surprise he was not interested in negativity. That is not who he is and that willingness to ruffle feathers is part of what allowed him to power England over the line when they were struggling on Saturday.
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Perhaps Bellingham went too far. There was a challenge to Tuchel’s authority in the apparent reference to the former Chelsea manager’s playing career. Even so Tuchel would be wrong to take it to heart. Tuchel should be happy that he has given Bellingham another point to prove. He should also accept that if he has cultivated a culture of honesty then he cannot complain if he gets some in return every now and then.
It becomes an issue when it plays out in public. Equally it cannot be stressed enough how brutal the conditions were in Miami. Bellingham must have been physically and mentally shattered. He was speaking not long after the final whistle and is unlikely to have been able to apply the usual filters in those circumstances.
England v Argentina: previous World Cup meetings
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England 3-1 Argentina, 1962: A group game in Chile, and England comfortably defeated opponents who, as one report put it, employed a “ruthless, massed defensive formation”. Ron Flowers scored an early penalty and Bobby Charlton made it 2-0 from 20 yards just before half-time. Jimmy Greaves poached a third before José Sanfilippo poked home a consolation.
England 1-0 Argentina, 1966: The quarter-final is known in Argentina as ‘The robbery of the century’ and was the beginning of the rivalry. The game quickly spiralled into a kicking contest and when Antonio Rattin was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 33rd minute for verbally abusing referee Rudolf Kreitlein it all kicked off. The Argentina captain refused to leave the pitch and there was an eight-minute delay before the restart, with coaching staff still remonstrating with officials. The game was settled by a Geoff Hurst header from a Martin Peters cross but, at the final whistle, the Argentinians surrounded the referee, who had to be escorted off by police. England manager Sir Alf Ramsey described the Argentinians as “animals”.
England 1-2 Argentina, 1986: Arguably the two most memorable moments in these matches came within four minutes of each other in a quarter-final in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City courtesy of Diego Maradona. The first ‘Hand of God’ incident (pictured) involved the midfielder knocking the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton with a raised arm. Then he scored what Fifa has called ‘Goal of the Century’, collecting the ball inside his half before weaving his way to goal with 11 touches in 11 seconds past helpless England players.
England 2-2 Argentina (Argentina won 4-3 on penalties), 1998: A high point for a teenage Michael Owen and a low one for David Beckham in the last 16. Gabriel Batistuta and Alan Shearer had traded penalties in the first 10 minutes before Owen scored a brilliant solo goal. Javier Zanetti levelled before half-time and Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone while on the ground two minutes after the interval. Glenn Hoddle’s side held out for penalties, where Carlos Roa to saved David Batty’s must-score fifth spot-kick.
England 1-0 Argentina, 2002: A degree of redemption for Beckham, although it was only a group game. Owen terrorised the defence again and after he was brought down by Mauricio Pochettino a minute before half-time, Beckham blasted home the penalty, prompting a kiss of the shirt and an outpouring of emotion. PA Media
Neither man has anything to gain from allowing this to fester. Tuchel needs to play it down when he next speaks to the media. He needs to turn it into a joke. Perhaps he can laugh at himself. Maybe he can point out that Bellingham can talk about tactics only once he has managed a team to Champions League glory.
Tuchel needs to find a way to ensure England’s “brotherhood” does not fall apart before one of the most intense and emotional games in living memory. Encouragingly, there are some around the camp who think it will blow over. England have an opportunity to make history this week. They are only going to do it if Bellingham and Tuchel are on the same page.
