Thomas Tuchel insists there is no rift with Jude Bellingham, England are solid to face Argentina

Thomas Tuchel insists there is no rift with Jude Bellingham and says the pair are closer than ever despite the England star publicly attacking the coach.

The relationship between the two has been in the spotlight since the German coach said last summer that his mother found some of Bellingham's on-field behaviour "disgusting".

Tuchel apologized for the statement and Bellingham has shone under his leadership at the 2026 World Cup. The Real Madrid player increased his number of goals at the 2026 World Cup to six goals after scoring two goals in a 2-1 victory in extra time against Norway in the quarter-finals.

Even though he managed to secure a semi-final ticket, after the match against Norway, Tuchel said he was not happy with the performance. The statement was also opposed by Bellingham and called for a positive attitude.

After the differences of opinion heated up the locker room, Tuchel revealed that he immediately spoke to the squad to resolve the issue the next day.

He said there was no problem at all with Bellingham ahead of the semi-final against Argentina on Thursday, July 16, 2026, early morning WIB.

"I wonder who is exaggerating these things, right? So, there is nothing to exaggerate. If it is exaggerated, of course in the media."

"What do you expect from a player who has just played 120 minutes and given everything if you shorten the comments of his coach.

"If you don't tell him he's world class, if you don't tell him he has world class action. If you just cut all this out and tell him your coach says you're sloppy, what do you expect?"

"Yes, of course you get comments like that and then you try to blow it up. People try to create misunderstandings and cracks in places where there are actually no cracks."

"We come from the same place. We come from a competitive environment. I am a competitive coach. I push this team to the limit and that's my assessment."

"I think the question is unfair at this time to Jude because he took away all the praise from my judgment and only asked about critical points, so I can understand."

"What do you expect from a player who has given everything and stood in front of the microphone in a short interview?"

"That's the reality, but we're as close as we've ever been, and closer than we've ever been. You can see it on the field."

"The energy and mentality in the camp has been very good in the last few days. We are ready to play tomorrow (against Argentina)," Tuchel told TalkSPORT.

As is known, several comments made by Bellingham after the victory over Norway seem to be related to Tuchel's playing career.

The 23-year-old said that he (Tuchel) didn't know how it felt to play in such conditions (extreme heat) against a player like Erling Haaland.

Tuchel has candidly admitted that he has had an unremarkable career, but does not feel it has affected his ability as a coach.

"I still want to have a career as a player, that's my dream. I never thought about being a coach, never dreamed of being a coach at that level, so I think this is basically a dream."

"I also feel very humble on the sidelines. From time to time it crossed my mind on the sidelines just before the game that Daya couldn't play here on this occasion."

"I think you don't have to play (to be a coach). A funny quote, you don't have to be a horse to be a good jockey!" said Tuchel.