Thomas Tuchel has never been a man for sugar coating. So when he stepped up to defend Jude Bellingham after the midfielder's explosive row with Carlos...
Thomas Tuchel has never been a man for sugar coating. So when he stepped up to defend Jude Bellingham after the midfielder's explosive row with Carlos Queiroz, the England manager did not pretend the incident was clean.'Silly tackle, bad reaction' was the blunt assessment from the touchline. Tuchel knows that in the heat of a high intensity friendly, those split second decisions can snap a game in two. Bellingham lunged, Queiroz took offence, and suddenly the touchline was a powder keg. But here is the thing. Tuchel wasn't absolving his player of blame. He was questioning why a seasoned international manager allowed himself to get dragged into the gutter.Let's talk about that tackle. It was late, it was needless, and it put Bellingham right in the referee's crosshairs. The kind of challenge that earns you a seat in the stands for the next qualifier. But then Queiroz turned the pitch into a theatre of the absurd. Rather than let the officials handle it, the Ghana boss went nose to nose with a boy half his age, jabbing fingers and bellowing. You don't see that from the modern gaffer. You see it from a man who has either lost control or is manufacturing a siege mentality.Tuchel's defence was clever. He didn't pretend Bellingham was an angel. He framed the row as a failure of adult leadership. 'Jude made a mistake. Then Queiroz made a bigger one.' It's the kind of line that plays well in the dressing room. It says: I've got your back, but don't be daft again.From a tactical perspective, this fuss obscures the real concern for England. Bellingham is their transitional fulcrum. When he is rash, he leaves gaps. When he is wound up, his passing gets hurried. Queiroz, for all his fury, probably achieved exactly what he wanted. He got under England's skin. The question now is whether Tuchel can channel that fire into controlled aggression when the qualifiers start.Let's be honest. Football needs these dust ups. It gives the game a pulse. But if Queiroz wants to win a row, he should pick someone his own age. Bellingham has better things to do. Like proving Tuchel's faith was not misplaced.
