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Strained relationship with a superstar: could Thomas Tuchel spring another surprise at the World Cup?

Even the announcement of his World Cup squad was met with a number of big question marks. Will Thomas Tuchel take the game to the extreme at the World Cup?

England manager Thomas Tuchel insists that star midfielder Jude Bellingham must still fight for his place in the starting line-up ahead of the World Cup.

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham remains in contention for a starting berth, coach Tuchel confirmed shortly before the XXL Finals in the US, Mexico and Canada began on 11 June.
"Roles can change at any time, but at the moment there are 14 or 15 potential starters – and Jude is one of them," Tuchel stated. The former Bayern and Dortmund manager is rumoured to have a somewhat strained relationship with Bellingham.

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Tuchel brands Bellingham's behaviour "repulsive".
Since Tuchel took charge in January 2025, the 22-year-old has started just four times and come on as a substitute three times. Instead, Tuchel has relied on Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who has featured in twelve of the 13 matches under him.
Under Tuchel's predecessor, Gareth Southgate, Bellingham was an undisputed starter; at Euro 2024 he missed only 29 minutes across seven matches. Injuries have hampered his progress, and sources report repeated clashes with Tuchel.
After a 1-3 friendly loss to Senegal in June 2025, Tuchel called Bellingham's behaviour on the pitch "repulsive", although he later apologised. In November, Tuchel said he would "review" Bellingham's conduct after substituting him during the 2-0 qualifier against Albania.
The FA
Tuchel leaves Bellingham on the bench for the penultimate World Cup match – then names him captain.
In the Three Lions' 1-0 win over New Zealand in their penultimate World Cup warm-up match last Saturday, Bellingham wore the captain's armband after coming on as a substitute at half-time. Tuchel was impressed by his performance. "You can see that Jude definitely has determination and grit," he said, adding that the midfielder was "full of energy" and in "top form".
England will complete their World Cup preparation on Wednesday against Costa Rica, before tackling Croatia on 17 June, Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June in Group L.