‘A bit repulsive' – Thomas Tuchel sends Jude Bellingham warning over behaviour that leaves his own MUM unimpressed

The Irish Sun

a day ago

WHEN Thomas Tuchel's mum watches Jude Bellingham on TV, she sometimes finds him repulsive.
And the
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Jude Bellingham booted a water cooler in frustration after defeat to Senegal
Credit: Getty
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He argued with referee Stephanie Frappart after his goal was chalked off
Credit: Getty
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Thomas Tuchel admitted Bellingham's behaviour can be 'a bit repulsive'
Credit: Getty
Yet Tuchel is adamant that England need their Real Madrid Galactico if they are to have any hope of winning the World Cup.
After a dire international break, which saw the Three Lions humbled in
After Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at the City Ground, Bellingham was
And
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Tuchel told
'I see this with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice, well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see.
'If he smiles, he wins (over) everyone. But sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV.
'I see that, but in general we are very happy to have him. He is a special boy.
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Tuchel's mum Gabriele would not impressed by Bellingham's antics
Credit: AFP
'He has a certain something. He brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things.'
This is a concern for Tuchel given that
'That's what he can give' - Stroppy Tuchel suggests Ivan Toney will NOT get more playing time due to 'specialist' role
At 22, Bellingham is a serious talent and a Champions League winner. Yet there are aspects of his temperament which leave many wondering whether he will become the next Bobby Charlton or the next Dele Alli.
Tuchel was candid in floating the idea that Bellingham's England team-mates might be intimidated by him.
The German said: 'The edge needs to be channelled, the edge towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate team-mates, or to be over aggressive to team-mates or referees.
'But towards opponents and always towards the solution, towards winning. We are on to that.
'He has the fire. I don't want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, that's his strength.
'But the fire comes with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.
'You see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game, so if he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him in this, then for sure he has the something that we need. He has a certain edge that is hard to find.'
As for Bellingham's best playing position, Tuchel currently sees him as a No10 but with many attributes of a centre-forward.
The Brummie was a prolific scorer as a 'false nine' during his early months at
Tuchel said: 'From the outside, I thought for many years that he could be a No6 or No8.
"And then he had this amazing season where he played like a false nine with Real Madrid and scored and scored and was involved in chances.
'I still see this hunger. If you look at our first match against Albania and his diving header in the box.
'The hunger to go with his body in front of the defender to dive into this ball without any fear and the defender was with his foot and he was with his head, it just shows me the determination he has to be on the scoreboard.
'I see [in him] what I normally only see in strikers. I think now, at the moment, he's more of a No8 or No10. Maybe a No10.'
Bellingham is close to Jordan Henderson and Tuchel admits the veteran Ajax midfielder's presence in the squad has much to do with his positive influence on team-mates.
Tuchel said: 'Since I met Jordan and observed him in camp I'm more convinced than ever that he is a very important addition to this group, especially when we talk about connections, about setting standards and keeping the group up to those standards.
'At the moment he is the man I don't want to miss.
'He is still lean and fit, he is still ready to push on at international level. I'm convinced he is still ambitious.
'He pushes the group, he takes care of training, he takes care of the attitude. He actually brings players together.
'We see better versions of players when Jordan is in camp than when he is not.'
For Tuchel and for Henderson, the key to success is finding the best version of Bellingham.
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Tuchel believes Bellingham's future could be as a false nine
Credit: AFP