England manager Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham’s fiery nature must be harnessed for the team’s benefit after the midfielder’s outburst in their 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal.
The Real Madrid star thought he had equalised late in the match at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, only for the goal to be controversially ruled out. Senegal went on to score a third in stoppage time, sealing a historic win as the first African nation to beat the Three Lions.
Bellingham was visibly furious at the decision and had to be restrained by Tuchel at full-time. The England boss admitted managing Bellingham’s passion is a “balancing act.”
“He has a certain something and brings an edge. It’s needed if we want to achieve big things,” Tuchel told talkSPORT. “It needs to be channelled towards the opponent and our goal — not to intimidate team-mates or be aggressive towards referees.”
Tuchel emphasised that Bellingham’s passion is part of what makes him special, but noted it can become disruptive if not properly managed.
“He has the fire — I don’t want to dim that,” Tuchel said. “But the fire comes with some attributes that can intimidate teammates. If he can channel this the right way, he has something we need.”
Tuchel, a Champions League winner with Chelsea and title-holder in France and Germany, was brought in to finally end England’s major tournament drought, which stretches back to 1966.
Despite a strong squad, England have had a mixed start under the German coach, with three lacklustre World Cup qualifying wins over Albania, Latvia, and Andorra before the Senegal setback.
Reflecting on his early days in charge, Tuchel said: “I already have an idea of what to do. We did some experiments in the second camp. Not everything was bad, but the two games were not good enough.”
With one year to go before the 2026 World Cup, he remains focused on building a title-winning team. “Each game is a learning situation and helps us mould the team and find solutions,” he added.
