Whatever! Jude Bellingham vs Thomas Tuchel is an England ‘storm in a teacup’ at 2026 World Cup despite ‘history’ between the pair

There is no indication of that happening, with the spirit forged under Sir Gareth Southgate - which delivered back-to-back European Championship final appearances and a knighthood for the man at the helm - being maintained and refined by a new coaching regime.

Former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel is a demanding character, but is considered to have a public front and behind-closed-doors persona. He will not cater to egos or accept rocking of the boat, but wants confidence and positivity to prosper.

He is yet to deliver the brand of free-flowing football that was promised at the time of his appointment, but boasts the kind of record that is difficult to argue with. Having overseen a faultless World Cup qualifying campaign, England are now into another major tournament semi-final and two games away from a first trophy triumph in 60 years.

Tuchel was not all that impressed with the level of performance put in when battling past Norway in a gruelling quarter-final clash that was played out in sweltering conditions at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The German saluted the “effort” on show, but considered his side to have been “sloppy”.

Bellingham was made aware of said comments almost immediately and responded by saying: “Yeah well, whatever. It's a tough shift, so my thoughts and appreciation go to the players who've put a tough shift out there.”

He went on to say: “Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in these types of conditions against Erling Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, [Antonio] Nusa, [Alexander] Sorloth, you know. That's not an easy team to play against.”

Much has been made of those post-match interviews, with Tuchel having previously questioned some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour and sparked lively debate regarding the role that a Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ has to play in his plans.

A prominent one has been enjoyed at the World Cup finals, with Bellingham registering six goals while filling the role of talismanic leader. Should anything be read into quips that were delivered in the heat of battle?

Delivering his verdict on that saga, ex-Three Lions defender Pallister - speaking courtesy of NetBet Sport - told GOAL: “I don't think any England fan has said that we were great the other night [against Norway]. I think that's a gimme.

“I don't think it was a great game. I think both teams suffered in the heat. I think people have to understand how tough that is. And I get why Jude said it, because I was away on holiday in 35 degrees heat, and I couldn't even sunbathe in it. I just spent the time in the swimming pool!

“So they're playing at temperatures that were nearly 40 degrees. I played in something similar to that in Thailand, and it's horrendous to play football in. There's no air. You know what I mean? You do a sprint, and you feel like you've done a marathon. It's so tough. I get it's 50-50 for both teams, but I think it affects the game and affects the performance. I think a few players have said that now.

“Tuchel's right, we didn't play great. I think Jude's right as well. You have to understand what that game was like to play in. That is so hard to bear and perform at the highest level when at times you're just looking to breathe. So, I wouldn't read too much into it.

“We know there's probably a little bit of history there between the two of them - he's left him out with squads, he's left him out with teams. I think for a period of time, it was probably the right thing to do for Jude and for the England team.

“He's the manager, he's the boss, you don't really want to be taking him on. I think he probably did the right thing in that early part of the relationship with Jude. We're now seeing the very, very best of him.

“He's one of the outstanding performers in the World Cup. He's been immense for England. He's scored the goals, he's shown that he's a world-class talent, and he's got a hunger and desire to carry that team and get it to where, hopefully, we can be celebrating a World Cup win.

“I hope it's nothing more than a storm in a teacup. I wouldn't expect it to be more than that. Jude's desperate to put another win in that World Cup history of England. I would expect another massive performance from him against Argentina.”

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