Tuchel Under Fire in England Over His Handling of Jude Bellingham
Tuchel under scrutiny for his handling of Jude Bellingham with England
Thomas Tuchel’s management of Jude Bellingham has drawn heavy criticism from the English press, who believe the head coach missed a key opportunity to integrate the Real Madrid midfielder ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Bellingham was left out of England’s September squad due to a shoulder injury and, despite recovering, Tuchel chose not to call him up in October. The player was included in November, when he logged 100 minutes against Serbia and Albania in England’s final World Cup qualifiers.
The German coach acknowledged that leaving out Bellingham — one of the team’s most influential players — was a deliberate decision aimed at testing other footballers with potential World Cup roles.
However, the situation has since shifted. With Bellingham now sidelined for several weeks by a hamstring injury, British media view the earlier decision to omit him while he was fit as a strategic mistake.
In a column published in The Times, journalist Martin Samuel wrote that, at best, Bellingham will be ready to return in early March, while Tuchel is set to announce the squad for friendlies against Japan and Uruguay on March 20.
“By then, Bellingham will have barely played for Real Madrid. The last time that happened, Tuchel left him out,” Samuel noted, referring to the October squad announced shortly after the midfielder’s recovery.
Samuel was more pointed in his criticism of the England manager: “Coaches should not play mind games. Opportunities to build bonds within the group are rare and precious. The time not spent working with Bellingham is now lost.”
He added that Tuchel may now be forced to break his own rule of not rushing injured players back, something he did not do previously, or risk leaving out one of England’s standout talents again.
The columnist also highlighted ongoing uncertainty in England’s midfield, with Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden all vying for key roles, while England has fewer and fewer matches left to settle its structure before the World Cup.
“If this England side is built on unity, why weren’t injured players called up to remain part of the group during their recovery?” Samuel asked, arguing that Bellingham and Palmer could have been involved in all team activities except matches, helping them understand their roles, connect with teammates and feel fully integrated into the squad.
