Thomas Tuchel acknowledges that Jude Bellingham was ‘fortunate’ to avoid a red card during England’s victory against Latvia.

Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that Jude Bellingham was “fortunate” to avoid a red card as England “struggled” to achieve a 3-0 victory over the underdog Latvia on Monday.

Just two days after asserting that Bellingham can be “very emotional” and must learn to manage his temperament on the pitch, the Real Madrid midfielder narrowly escaped being dismissed during the World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

After receiving a yellow card in the first half, Bellingham came perilously close to a second booking shortly after the break following a hefty challenge on Raivis Jurkovskis.

In response, England manager Tuchel quickly opted to substitute the midfielder, bringing on Phil Foden to avoid the risk of an early exit.

“A bit lucky. We immediately decided not to take any chances and brought him off,” Tuchel stated.

With Reece James’s stunning free-kick giving England the lead, they found it challenging to put away a determined Latvia side when Bellingham left the field.

His lack of composure could have jeopardised Tuchel’s quest for a second consecutive win at the start of his tenure.

Harry Kane scored shortly after Bellingham’s exit, followed by Eberechi Eze sealing the victory as they aimed for qualification for next year’s World Cup.

Facing a Latvia team ranked 136 places lower in FIFA’s standings, Tuchel conceded that England were less than convincing, especially following a tepid 2-0 victory against Albania in his debut on Friday.

“It was a challenging match. We observed many positives and created good opportunities. We required a free-kick to break the deadlock. I’m pleased with the attitude, energy and desire. We will improve,” the German manager commented.

“In the second half, we started to slow down the game and movement was minimal, which was counterproductive. However, the second goal was an improvement, displaying greater speed from one of our midfielders,” he added.

“We encourage everyone to incorporate late bursts of speed, but we faced some difficulty until the goal. I’m learning about the players and the game, which is quite insightful.“

‘His quality is at the highest level’

James’s eye-catching performance on his first England start since September 2022 was a highlight for Tuchel.

The Chelsea right-back, who has battled hamstring issues over the past two years, excelled under Tuchel during the Blues’ Champions League campaign in 2021.

“I know Reece, and the quality he possesses is incredible. He has every reason to feel proud and satisfied with his display,” Tuchel remarked.

“He is in fantastic shape, looking sharp, and his quality is unquestionable. If you dominate a match like today, he can play as a hybrid midfielder to help create overloads. His quality is at the highest level,” Tuchel highlighted.

“We’ve kept in close contact over the last few weeks. We knew he was in a positive mental space, and he proved that. He was very upbeat throughout the camp.“

Tuchel was also impressed with Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers on his first England start.

Rogers has become a vital player for Villa during their run to the Champions League quarter-finals this season, and Tuchel saw potential for him to mirror that form at the international level.

“I’m quite pleased with him. He earned his start. A match where we dominated like this suited him better when playing from the wings,” Tuchel said, with the team set to face Andorra in June.

“He appeared to have more freedom when we played him there. There was more space, and he performed well.“