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England head coach Thomas Tuchel has urged Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham to keep playing with the same "rage and fire" that nearly caused a rift between the two just over a year ago.
Shortly after taking charge of England, Tuchel labeled some of Bellingham's conduct on the pitch as "repulsive"—remarks he quickly walked back, attributing them to an unfortunate word choice in his second language.
Channeling that "fire" and "edge" constructively from the summer of 2025 was a central challenge Tuchel set for Bellingham. One year on, the midfielder appears to have risen to the occasion.
"He thrives on that," Tuchel said, referring to a fiery exchange between Bellingham and Real Madrid club colleague Marc Cucurella during Spain's 3–2 win against the Three Lions. "He raises his level when that happens.
"He performs better when there's a bit of rage in his game. That's just who he is. I think he sometimes seeks out those moments to ignite his competitive spark.
"He doesn't know any [club] teammates when he's in the national team. He wants to win. He is still friends with them but not for the 90 minutes."
Tuchel: Busy International Break Is Bad for Bellingham
Fitness issues pushed Bellingham to the periphery of Tuchel's England squad in October 2025, but the 23-year-old quickly worked his way back into the starting lineup. He has featured from the off in nine of the team's last 10 matches, sitting out only the third-place playoff at the World Cup when a rotated squad beat France.
Adding to Bellingham's frustration, further rest periods are on the horizon, as Tuchel admitted the high-intensity style the midfielder brings simply cannot be sustained throughout an international break that still has three fixtures remaining.
"His game is not economic but let's see," Tuchel said when pressed on whether Bellingham would start Tuesday's away fixture against Czechia. "I would love to have him out there four times.
"The concern is that he hasn't done it [played multiple games] this season in this tight period. We will need to check with the physios. We will not put Jude at any risk.
"I would love not to rotate but I am not sure if it's possible. An ideal scenario would be to go again with six or seven players minimum from the start that we trust, to put the responsibility on them and let them feel the trust."