England manager Thomas Tuchel insisted Jude Bellingham “needs to accept” his role in the team after he was sent off in the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Albania on Sunday.
Tuchel’s team completed England’s best World Cup qualifying campaign in history, winning eight of eight games, scoring 22 goals and keeping a clean sheet.
Harry Kane scored two goals in the remaining 16 minutes of the match, giving England and Tuchel even more positivity heading into summer’s World Cup.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham returned to the starting lineup against Albania after playing 25 minutes in the last game against Serbia.
Bellingham came on as a substitute in the 84th minute against Albania after Kane scored England’s second goal, but the 22-year-old did not respond well to being substituted.
Upon learning he would be substituted, Bellingham, along with former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, threw his arms in the air and told BBC Radio Five Live that the midfielder was “absolutely furious” and “furious” at the decision.
Read: Rashford wins battle to be World Cup ‘finisher’, Eze becomes England’s biggest loser
Regarding Bellingham, Tuchel told reporters: “It’s a decision and he has to accept that decision. There are other players, his friends are waiting on the sidelines, so he has to accept it, respect it and keep going.”
Asked whether Bellingham’s reaction went against the ideals he has built, Tuchel added: “I didn’t see it that way. We need to look at it. I understand he’s not happy and I don’t want to make it any bigger than it is at the moment.”
“To some extent I think they would never like it if they had a competitive player like Jude, but my words stand.
“We are not going to change our decision just because someone waves their arm because we value standards and levels and commitment and respect for each other.
“Everything we did in camp is a team-wide issue. We’ll have to look at it after that. I was very happy with the goal and I spoke to Morgan Rogers briefly and I was sure everyone would celebrate together, so we’ll see.”
“But that’s not the image we want to convey, because we feel that everyone is dedicated and will accept the tough decisions, whether it’s before the game or during the game. And that doesn’t exclude anyone.”
Expanding UK coverage of F365
👉 Mailbox: Jude Bellingham is an ‘absolute tool’ and a ‘complete idiot’
👉 England manager sensationalizes normal sub-reactions, widening rift between Bellingham and Tuchel
👉 F365 picks England World Cup winning players: Spence and Rashford win left wing debate
After several international suspensions already this season, England will have to wait until March to play again in two friendlies in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Asked about the long gap between games, Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“I have to say I love being on the sideline. I love competing with these guys. This is going to be a long, long time coming. They’ve been great. All of our players give them full credit. We’re very proud.”
“We’ve had a lot of changes, and a lot of the changes are sometimes not fair to the players that play, because then you miss out on core players who are used to playing with each other. But everyone did well. You can see we had a quality bench to turn things around and make an impact. So why not?”
Read next: 2026 World Cup Power Rankings, England play calmly but doubts emerge over Portugal
