Tuchel vs Bellingham: The Battle That Is Making England Better

The relationship between England manager Thomas Tuchel and star midfielder Jude Bellingham has never been straightforward, and according to Sky Sports, it has been a genuine battle of wills stretching back more than 18 months.

At its lowest point, Tuchel publicly said his own mother sometimes found Bellingham repulsive on the pitch, a comment that deeply upset Bellingham and his family. Tuchel later apologised, and the situation has largely settled since. When Tuchel dropped Bellingham from a squad just 48 hours after the player was named England's player of the year, the manager offered no softening explanation, simply pointing to team spirit and rewarding those who had performed well in the previous camp.

Whether that was calculated man-management or genuine conviction, the outcome is the same. England are in the semi-finals, and Bellingham is at the heart of it. The tension, it seems, has produced something useful for both of them.