Thomas Tuchel ‘in a good place’ with Jude Bellingham as brother Jobe called up
Tuchel’s relationship with the elder Bellingham sibling has often come under scrutiny during his time as England manager.
Thomas Tuchel loves working with Jude Bellingham having acknowledged their relationship has been “up and down” at times – and revealed the England star was bending his ear to call up younger brother Jobe.
The England Under-21s captain’s promotion to the senior set-up for the Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain was among the surprises in the German coach’s final squad of the year.
The Bellingham brothers are in line to become the first siblings to play together for England since Gary and Phil Neville in 2007 and would fulfil what Jude once called the “biggest dream” of his life.
Tuchel remembers telling Jobe during his first camp in charge that it would be nice for them to play together one day and the 21-year-old’s development has made that a reality, along with some lobbying.
“We spoke about his brother because I know, I was aware, it was always his dream,” Tuchel said.
“Jude was always like ‘watch him, watch him, he’s good, he can make it!’ I would say, ‘yeah, yeah, we are watching him’.”
Such exchanges highlight Jude’s belief in his brother and an upturn in the relationship with his international manager.
The Real Madrid star has twice won England’s player of the year award since the arrival of Tuchel, who apologised last year after admitting his mother found some of the elder Bellingham’s on-field behaviour “repulsive”.
Concerns of a schism between the pair have never been far away, including at one point during the run to World Cup bronze, but things are looking up.
“It was a bit of an up and down (relationship) of course, but we are in a good place,” Tuchel said.
“I love to be his coach, he’s a top player, a very influential player and I think it goes both ways. If Jude was not feeling comfortable, he would not perform on that level.
“In the moment you see he’s happy to come into camp, he’s happy with the role he has, he’s fully invested and now to have the chance to have both of them is just the next step.”
Tuchel hopes the downs are behind them heading into a camp that will be a high in Jude’s England journey and the peak of his brother’s nascent career.
The England boss was at pains to stress Jobe’s place in the squad was on merit having impressed with Lee Carsley’s Under-21s and kicked on following last year’s move from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund.
That switch from the Championship – helping the Black Cats to promotion before his departure – to the Bundesliga bears a striking resemblance to Jude’s career path, which combined with other similarities might explain why Tuchel stopped himself with a laugh after accidentally saying ‘Jube’ rather than Jobe.
“I think he has to live with this, that everyone will compare them,” Tuchel said.
“They look similar, even in their movements, but they are very different players. Let’s see, I think they are also different characters, at least that’s what I heard.
“He goes to the same club (Dortmund) as Jude so of course there will always be comparisons. It will always be like that.
“But it is a huge achievement that both of them are in camp and I am happy to see how quick he can adapt to our style of play.”