Tuchel apologises for calling Bellingham ‘repulsive’ in the aftermath of the comments he made after Senegal loss.
Thomas Tuchel sorry for calling Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour ‘repulsive’.
As he considered Trent Alexander-Arnold’s unexpected omission from his England squad and the difficult phone call that followed, Thomas Tuchel expressed regret for upsetting Jude Bellingham with his “repulsive” remark at the end of the previous season.
Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence were the first players called up by the head coach for the World Cup qualifying matches against Andorra at Villa Park and Serbia in Belgrade. John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Tino Livramento, Adam Wharton, Marcus Rashford, and Jarrod Bowen were also called up.
But a lot of attention was focused on the players who would not play, starting with Alexander-Arnold, a Real Madrid teammate, and Bellingham, who is out while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Tuchel and his clarification
In a live interview with TalkSport, Tuchel talked about the midfielder’s “edge,” which may cause the player to blow up during games and come across as “a bit repulsive.” Tuchel was eager to put an end to the Bellingham incident. Earlier, Tuchel acknowledged that when his mother watched Bellingham play, she occasionally felt conflicted. Tuchel wanted to emphasise that he was sorry for his poor word choice in his second language.
“I used this word unintentionally,” he said. “There was no message, no hidden agenda. I fully understand that it’s my responsibility, that I created the headlines and I’m sorry for the upset. I should have known better. Should have done better. If someone makes the effort to listen to the whole answer he would clearly understand the appreciation that I have for the player.
“When I was aware of the headlines, I made contact straight away [with Bellingham]. Jude focuses now on his rehabilitation and we focus on Andorra and Serbia. Is it sorted? I hope so. It was in English so I don’t think my mum was fully aware of it. She had the right to be annoyed at me.”
The Trent situation
The player “needs to feel trust and love from his manager and teammates, from his club, his country, and the fans,” according to Tuchel. When he called up the right-back for the first time in June for the City Ground friendly against Senegal and the road match against Andorra, he made it clear that he had a lot going on.
However, Tuchel also stated unequivocally that Alexander-Arnold was dropped on the basis of merit because Livramento and Reece James were playing better. He added that if Ben White, another right-back, had not been hurt, he might have been chosen, ending a protracted period of exile abroad.
“I spoke to Trent, it was a difficult phone call but I wanted that he hears it from me, which he appreciated,” Tuchel said. “He was very clear that he’s desperate to come back and play for England. It is a competitive decision, first and foremost.”