Thomas Tuchel has told Jude Bellingham to concentrate on intimidating the opposition rather than his England teammates as he opened up on what it was like to manage one of the game’s “special” talents.
The England head coach talked about Bellingham’s “edge”, which can make him erupt during matches – even at colleagues – and come across in a way that “can be a bit repulsive”. Tuchel admitted his mother sometimes had “mixed emotions” when watching Bellingham play.
But Tuchel made plain that he would count on the Real Madrid midfielder in his mission to win the World Cup next summer and that it was vital to harness the fires that rage within the 21-year-old on the pitch.
“Jude has a certain something,” Tuchel said in an interview with TalkSport. “He brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things. The edge needs to be channelled towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate teammates or to be overaggressive towards teammates or referees.
“He has the fire. I don’t want to dim this down. But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you. Maybe even as a teammate. And you see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way and we can help him in this, then for sure he has something that we need. He has a certain edge that is hard to find.”
Tuchel described Bellingham as a “nice kid, very open, very intelligent and very easy so far [to manage]”. He added: “I can see that it [Bellingham’s edge] can create mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice and well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see and the smile.
“If he smiles, he wins everyone but sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive. For example, for my mother when she sits in front of the TV. I see that. But in general, we are very happy to have him. He’s a special boy.”
Tuchel has thought about whether to try Bellingham as one of the strikers in a 4-4-2, although he has yet to do so. He started him as a No 10 on Saturday in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Andorra in Barcelona and brought him off the bench as a No 8 in Tuesday’s 3-1 friendly defeat against Senegal in Nottingham.
“From outside I thought for many years that Jude could be a 6/8,” Tuchel said. “Then he had this amazing season [in 2023-24] where he played like a false 9 in Real Madrid and scored and scored, and was involved in chances. I see still this hunger … the determination that he has to be on the scoreboard. I see [in him] what I normally see only in strikers. I think at the moment he’s more an 8/10 than a 6/8. Maybe a 10.”
Tuchel has raised the possibility that Bellingham could play alongside his younger brother, Jobe, for England – something Bellingham has called “the biggest dream of my life … that would mean more than any of the trophies”.
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Jobe has just signed for Borussia Dortmund from Sunderland for £27m and Tuchel will monitor the midfielder’s progress. Since the start of the 20th century, only two pairs of brothers have played together for England at senior level – Bobby and Jack Charlton; Gary and Phil Neville. “If you’re ready at that highest level, you can be selected,” Tuchel said of Jobe. “If he’s playing, then of course.”
Tuchel also discussed his England future. He has signed a contract for the 2026 World Cup only but was asked whether he could be tempted to stay on for Euro 2028, which will be co-hosted by England.
“I will always be tempted to stay because I love the group and I love the opportunity,” he said. “It’s an honour to be English head coach. I know what’s coming after – a huge tournament in England.
“If you ask me today, yes [I would stay on] because I feel that I’m in the right place. I enjoy being where I am at the moment. I wanted a new challenge. I wanted the new environment. I feel the support. I felt the trust and respect of the people in the federation. I love the group of players, I want to push them. And it just feels right. So, [a] clear yes from my side until today.”
