ATLANTA — Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham had a real difference of opinion after England’s 2-1 win over Norway in the World Cup quarterfinal.
The England coach was happy his team got through, but quite unhappy with its performance.
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Tuchel said England was “sloppy, [made] a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough … we were lucky.”
Bellingham, who scored both of England’s goals in the match, begged to differ.
When presented with his coach’s assessment of the match, Bellingham was notably defensive.
“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions,” Bellingham said of a game played in oppressive South Florida heat and humidity.
“It’s not an easy team to play against,” Bellingham countered. “I think we’ve tried to create a positive environment, and we should continue that going into the final four.”
Ahead of England’s semifinal against Argentina on Wednesday, July 15, Tuchel said he had a clear-the-air meeting with his entire team.
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“I spoke to the whole team, we debriefed,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, July 14. “I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message.”
Tuchel said that part of the problem was that Bellingham wasn’t provided the full context of his coach’s postgame comments.
“Our comments come from the same place — from having the edge when competition is on,” Tuchel added.
“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.
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“All of that was not part of the question. So he was confronted with, ‘What do you think? The coach said you were sloppy.’
“Of course, I would maybe also bite back when I come from 120 minutes, scored two goals, gave literally everything that is in my body. It’s just a very normal thing, a very normal reaction for a player of his mindset.”
England captain Harry Kane also attempted to downplay any tension between Tuchel and Bellingham.
Kane told the BBC: “When you play a game like that, and get asked a question two minutes after the final whistle when he hasn’t known what the manager has said, it’s like, what do you want Jude to say?
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“It’s easy to try to create this division, it seems to be an English thing to do at these major tournaments.
“But it’s the complete opposite. The group is where we are because of our togetherness. Not just the players but the coach, staff and everyone involved.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham feuding? Explaining England drama
