England hero Bellingham was asked by ITV interviewer Gabriel Clarke for his reaction to Thomas Tuchel‘s criticism over the side’s performances in their quarter-final against Norway.
But the Real Madrid star was not aware that Tuchel had also strongly defended the team’s mentality during the fixture.
When informed that his gaffer was not pleased with the team’s performance, Bellingham shrugged before replying: “Yeah well, whatever.
“It is difficult out there. It was a tough shift.”
He added in an interview soon after that: “Maybe [Tuchel] doesn’t know what it takes to play in those conditions against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa, Alexander Sorloth, that’s not an easy team to play against.
“I think we have tried to create a positive environment we should continue that into the final four.
“I can’t think highly enough of the lads. You’re not going to win every game popping a thousand passes, sometimes you have to win dirty.”
The comments drew criticism from some fans, while others were frustrated that the misunderstanding had caused a rift in the squad on the eve of a massive semis clash with Argentina.
Others, including talkSport’s Simon Jordan, claimed Clarke hadn’t given Bellingham a “rounded picture” of Tuchel’s comments.