Neville Defends "Monumental" Bellingham After Tuchel's Comments

Gary Neville expressed his support for Jude Bellingham after England manager Thomas Tuchel insisted his team was "lucky" in their victory over Norway. The Three Lions' boss admitted he was unhappy with his team's "sloppy" play in the 2-1 win against Norway, achieved in extra time after falling 1-0 behind, thanks to two goals from Bellingham.

Nevertheless, the 52-year-old Tuchel later praised the team's mentality and attitude, which helped them secure the win.

These quotes were presented to 23-year-old Bellingham in his own ITV interview with Gabriel Clarke, to which he responded: "Whatever," before adding in his press conference: "Maybe he doesn't know what it takes to play in these conditions against Erling Haaland, Nusa, Sørloth. That's not an easy team to beat. I think we tried to create a positive environment and we need to maintain that for the semi-finals. I can't speak highly enough of the lads. You won't win every game with a thousand passes; sometimes you have to win by playing dirty."

Neville, who earned 85 caps for England, lauded the Real Madrid star for backing his teammates despite Tuchel's harsh assessment. The former Manchester United defender said after the quarter-final victory: "I really liked it. I'm not a big fan of players not giving interviews, especially when they are the best in the team. If you're the star, the person who's going to win us games, I think you're the one who should come out and speak. Jude Bellingham has spoken after absolutely every game in this tournament – even after the draw with Ghana, when the performance wasn't good and there was criticism."

Neville continued: "What I liked wasn't just the words that came out of his mouth, but the look in his eyes. You see the look of someone who is furious and determined to succeed. He's 23 years old; what this kid is doing is absolutely monumental. The impact he's having on young people in our country and around the world is magnificent. I think perhaps the Tuchel/Bellingham topic is being exaggerated a bit – it's obviously something that's been happening for 12 months. But Tuchel isn't going to bench him."

Neville explained that Bellingham respects his manager for his perfectionism and will appreciate it in 10 years.

He went on: "Bellingham probably respects his manager for having the courage to say that after the game. He might not think so now, but in 10-15 years, when he reflects on perfection and elite performance, he'll realize that Thomas Tuchel was simply demanding more from the team because he believes they can give more. What sometimes happens – not just in football, but in life – is that people are reluctant to have difficult conversations with each other."

"Thomas Tuchel comes out, gives an interview, he's not happy with the performance because he knows this team can do more and he knows they need to play better against Argentina. He has a player who wants a little respect for reaching a World Cup semi-final, for the achievement, effort, and dedication the players have put in. I have no problem with such things. Sometimes tension arises, but that's not an issue. Sometimes it's better that way than the alternative."

Neville concluded by calling Bellingham "England's superstar."

Many media outlets reported even before the World Cup began that Tuchel and Bellingham had experienced strained relations at times over the past 12 months, but ultimately managed to find common ground in the days leading up to the tournament.

England faces Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday – a clash not seen at a World Cup since 2002, when a David Beckham penalty decided the group stage match. The Three Lions last played the "Albiceleste" in a World Cup knockout stage in 1998 – a match best remembered for David Beckham's sending off against Diego Simeone and the Three Lions' 3-4 defeat on penalties.