Thomas Tuchel has told Jude Bellingham that controlling his emotions and the urge to be everywhere on pitch will make him a better player for England.
Bellingham saved England at Euro 2024 with his last-gasp bicycle kick against Slovakia – shouting “who else?” when he celebrated – and his determination to lift the team during the tournament meant he appeared in all areas of the pitch.
Bellingham was again England’s main man as Tuchel began his reign with a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Albania on Friday, but the German believes the Real Madrid midfielder can be more efficient by staying disciplined in his No10 role, rather than trying to beat opposition on his own.
“He is always ready to give everything but we need to help him so that within a structure he can play more economically and still have the same impact, or maybe even more impact,” said Tuchel.
“We need to make sure that the leaders – and he is one of the leaders – and the key players walk in the same direction and play in the same rhythm and help each other out. And play a little more disciplined maybe, to save some energy for the decisive moments.”
Bellingham has been dismissed with Real Madrid this season after speaking out of turn to a referee, which Tuchel expects him to learn from in time. Bellingham was also fined by Uefa for a lewd gesture while celebrating his stunning equaliser against Slovakia last summer.
“He loves to talk to the referee and the linesmen,” Tuchel added. “He’s a very emotional player once he’s on the pitch and I think you just see that he hates to lose and does everything that it takes. He expresses himself.
“You see the hunger and the desire to win. I think he will keep this hunger and learn to channel the emotions a little bit. That’s never a problem. It’s good to have him as he is. We will try to make the most out of it because he is a key player.”
Tuchel added that Bellingham would be helped by his wingers taking more risks on the ball.
“We struggled to dare to take the risk and to understand where to take the risk,” he said. “In my opinion, we need more discipline in the positions because when we understand where everyone is, in the moment we have the ball, we can pass the ball quicker and pass more decisively and bypass more opponents.”
Coach’s warning: Road to World Cup will be ugly
By Mike McGrath
Thomas Tuchel has warned England they must “win ugly” in World Cup qualification before any Hollywood football at the finals in America next year.
Supporters saw the Tuchel era start with a 2-0 win against an Albania team defending in a low block, with more of the same expected when Latvia arrive at Wembley on Monday.
With Serbia and Andorra the other Group K opponents in home and away fixtures over the next eight months, Tuchel expects England will have to be patient to break down teams and has demanded improvement on his opening match.
“This will be the story,” said Tuchel, when asked about winning ugly during the qualification campaign. “We will go through the whole group when everyone will know that we are the favourites – but we will accept it and keep on going.
“Which is why I was happy with the control of the counter-attacks against Albania. But our game slowed down, and I’m not exactly sure why.”
England fans have become accustomed to teams sitting deep at Wembley and challenging the hosts to break through their defensive formation, with a modern trend of paper aeroplanes being thrown from the stands during periods without a breakthrough.
Tuchel has called for discipline from his team, asking them to stay patient and not to commit too many players forward, which can leave them exposed to counter-attacks.
“We took a little more risk in the structure and I felt we became a bit more vulnerable and suddenly we had six players higher up the pitch, and they were not so disciplined in their positions,” Tuchel said.
“The ball-losses then became a little bit more dangerous because of the space. That came from a lack of discipline in the positions, when suddenly we became a little more vulnerable.”
Tuchel is set to be without Anthony Gordon for the Latvia clash after he picked up a hip injury in the final stages on Friday evening.
Banner ‘was fantastic’
Tuchel’s Army, a commissioned song recorded by UK rapper Doktor, was played before the Albania match. A banner was also unfurled welcoming Tuchel to the “Home Of Football”.
The German said: “I saw the banner. It was fantastic. It was amazing to hear the national anthem and to be in charge. It still feels great, I love the group of players – and now we will try to squeeze the best out of them.
“I have to adapt to the rhythm of international football. Of course, the challenge is to prepare in three days, with 20 players from I don’t know, 10 or 12 clubs, one idea of football.
“I’m not the most patient guy in the world when it comes to that, but I will learn and push the players.”
