‘He doesn’t know what it’s like’: Jude Bellingham attacks boss Thomas Tuchel over calling England stars ‘lucky’ in remarkable interview, as tensions emerge before Argentina World Cup semi-final

Jude Bellingham insists England manager Thomas Tuchel ‘maybe doesn’t know’ what he is talking about in a stunning interview following the World Cup quarter-final victory over Norway.

The Three Lions needed extra time and two Bellingham goals to get past Erling Haaland’s Norway and into Wednesday night’s semi-final against Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Tuchel was very honest in his post-match ITV interview, describing his players as ‘lucky’, but Bellingham did not take kindly to this. At first England’s match-winner tried to sidestep the issue on the pitch, saying: ‘Yeah, whatever, whatever.’

But he delved further into the subject in post-match mixed zone interviews. He claimed that German coach Tuchel, who retired from football at the age of 25 due to injury and worked as a bartender before his coaching career, ‘doesn’t know what it’s like’ to play at the top level.

‘What do you think about your boss’s statement?’ When asked, Bellingham initially responded: ‘No comment.’

Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel evaluated England’s win against Norway very differently

Bellingham claims Tuchel ‘doesn’t know what it’s like’ after his brutal post-match comment

But when pressed, he added: ‘Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play against Erling Haaland, (Martin) Odegaard, (Antonio) Nusa, (Alexander) Sörloth in such conditions. It is not an easy team to play against.

‘I think we are trying to create a positive environment and we have to continue that going into the last four. I couldn’t speak highly enough about the kids. ‘You can’t win every game by throwing the ball and making thousands of passes, sometimes you have to win dirty and we did that again tonight.’

England were playing in intense heat in Miami, with ‘real feel’ temperatures on the sidelines reaching over 40C.

In a separate pitchside interview, Bellingham played down Tuchel’s comments, saying: ‘Yeah, whatever.

‘It’s hard out there, it’s hard. All players are going through a very difficult transfer. So all my thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were there and made a great change.’

Tuchel is making the most of Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham this World Cup. He has six goals, level with captain Harry Kane in the Golden Boot race, the competition’s top goalscorer, and just behind Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.

However, their relationship has not always been smooth. In August, Tuchel apologized for describing Bellingham’s behavior on the pitch as ‘disgusting’. The manager said the word was used ‘unintentionally’.

He said: ‘If [Bellingham] smiles, wins everyone over. But sometimes you see the anger, the hunger, the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a little off-putting; for example, when my mother sits in front of the television.’

Bellingham, 23, was not included in Tuchel’s squad at the end of last year and missed England’s matches in October.

Bellingham demands more credit from team-mates after defeating Erling Haaland’s Norway

Coming into this World Cup his place in England’s starting XI was in question but he started every game and was the catalyst for the Three Lions to reach the semi-finals.

Tuchel laughed off claims of disagreement last night. ‘There is no disconnection between me and my team, no, not even one percent,’ he added. ‘My heart is completely full and I am completely in love with my players, my team and their performance.’

He tried to play the role of peacemaker and said: ‘No one suggests that I am not impressed by the change, the effort, the spirit and the faith they have shown.’

‘Overcoming challenges, digging in and finding ways to win is absolutely at the highest level. They can’t get enough credit for this. But I’m also a football coach and I think we can play better.’

Tuchel also praised his side’s resilience, adding for good measure that he was ‘in love’ with his charges.

‘There’s no doubt that I’m proud, I’m happy and I feel very committed to this team because they’re doing whatever it takes,’ he said.

Bellingham added: ‘I’m delighted to be in this position to help my country win football matches. ‘I don’t know if I’m doing my best, I don’t care as long as we can keep winning games, then that’s all that matters.’

In the semi-finals, England will face Argentina, which beat 10-man Switzerland 3-2 in extra time in the last quarter-final.

Beyond the ‘lucky’ comment, Tuchel was less than impressed with England’s quality in Saturday night’s match.

“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” he told ITV. ‘The result is amazing, we are in the last four. This is great. I am not satisfied with the performance.

‘In every sense. The commitment is there, but we made life very, very difficult for us with the way we played, the way we played. Sloppy, tactical mistakes, not fast enough. Not repetitive enough. We were lucky enough.

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‘We will be better, we need to be better. Now it’s time for the celebrations. Now it takes everything in. We need everything to achieve a better performance.’

Also speaking on ITV, pundit Gary Neville praised Tuchel for tackling his players. ‘This is why England brought in Thomas Tuchel,’ he said. ‘He’s a manager who doesn’t just accept winning the World Cup quarter-finals. He wants more.

‘His actions took him too close to the edge for his liking. You saw Messi crying the other day when they brought him too close to the edge of the cliff.

‘Tuchel is leaving; Why are you putting me through this? You are better than this. We are of better quality. It’s great to watch. I love both interviews. Thomas Tuchel’s was magnificent. Jude Bellingham’s response was absolutely amazing.

‘Since the beginning of the tournament, we have not resembled a collective unit in terms of the unity of the units and the rhythm of the passes. We have an outstanding player or two in Bellingham and Kane.

‘What you see in these two interviews are huge egos, world-class players and managers. ‘You have to be extraordinary to do what these two did.’

After Andreas Schjelderup’s odd goal put England behind again in the quarter-finals, Bellingham stepped forward and broke through the Norwegian defense to equalize just before half-time. And he was ready to finish again when Morgan Rogers’ shot from distance was saved in the opening moments of extra time.