Gary Neville has played down the apparent disconnect between Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham’s assessment of England’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway, insisting the pair’s relationship is not a problem.
Bellingham Stars as England Beat Norway
Former Birmingham City star Jude Bellingham was once again the star of the show as he scored both goals in a 2-1 win that puts the Three Lions through to the last four, where they will face Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Wednesday. The game went to extra-time in the stifling humidity in Miami, testing England’s squad depth and stamina.
Speaking after the game, Tuchel and Bellingham struck very different tones. The head coach said his side got lucky, stating: "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It's amazing but [I am] not happy with the performance - in every sense. We made life difficult for us in the way we played and how we played - sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough."
Bellingham’s Reaction
Those comments were put to Bellingham just minutes later, and he replied: "Yeah well, whatever. It's difficult out there, it's a tough shift. All the players have put in a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there who put in a great shift." When asked about his manager’s comments in the post-match press conference, Bellingham added: "No comment."
That has created a narrative around the pair’s relationship, but former England full-back Gary Neville is not worried. Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said: "There may be a little bit made about the Tuchel-Bellingham stuff, that’s something that’s been going on for 12 months. But Tuchel ain’t dropping him.
Neville’s Analysis
"To be fair he’s probably also respecting his manager for having the guts to say it afterwards. He may not do now but certainly in five, ten, 15 years when he thinks about excellence and elite performance, he will recognise that Thomas Tuchel was only striving for more out of the team at a point whereby he believes they can deliver more...
"Thomas Tuchel comes out, he has given an interview, he is not happy with the performance because he knows that team can do better and he knows they will have to do better to beat Argentina.
"Secondly he has got a player who, to be fair, wants a little bit of respect for getting to a World Cup semi final and for the achievements, effort and commitment the players have put in.
"I have got no problem with this type of stuff. I have witnessed it at the club I played for for a long time whereby you had these massive characters and egos and a manager who was a ferocious, tenacious unbelievable winner – and sometimes it comes to a head. But it’s not a problem, it’s better to be like that than the other way."
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