John Terry has accused Thomas Tuchel of taking Djed Spence to the World Cup because he is easier to pick on than Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The former England and Chelsea captain is ‘worried’ that Tuchel treats Spence and other less established stars in a way he wouldn’t dare deal with the bigger names.
Tuchel has continually harangued Spence in matches and training but continues to pick the Tottenham full-back, who has 10 caps.
It is an intriguing theory from Terry towards the German, who justified leaving out the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden on the grounds of squad harmony.
But Tuchel has had spats and strained relations with some of the biggest names in football over the years including Antonio Conte, Kylian Mbappe, and Romelu Lukaku.
‘I don’t know if you’ve seen the images and the videos of him going mad at Spence again in the game from the throw-in [against DR Congo]. I’m not saying he’s picking him out – but he seems like he’s having a proper dig at him,’ Terry told Piers Morgan’s World Cup Uncensored show.
John Terry says he is ‘worried’ by how Thomas Tuchel is treating Djed Spence
Tuchel has regularly berated Spence, as well as other stars, during matches and training
‘But we see the training incident that we spoke about. I’m a little bit worried. I really like Tuchel, and I think he’s a top and elite manager, but when I see this, I’m like, if that’s Trent, I’m not sure he’s behaving like that; I’m not sure he’s talking to Trent like that.
‘And maybe that’s a decision [explanation] of why he’s picked a couple of these players, because he can go like that to these younger players or these new players in the squad, for me. That’s interesting.’
Morgan hit back: ‘You mean it’d be a harder battle with a bigger personality? Do you really think that, John?
‘I mean, don’t forget this is Djed Spence, who’s a bit of a cocky little sod. He’s the one that, you know, wouldn’t shake Thomas Frank‘s hand, he’s the one that got hooked off the pitch and then decided to make a point with Conte by coming back off the bench and sticking his hand out… I think he’s a bit of a one, John, and I think maybe..’
Terry interjected: ‘Listen, I’m not his fan. I don’t think he’s a good defender, I don’t think he’s a good footballer. He’s played in a really struggling Spurs side this year.
‘But I will say I’ve not seen Tuchel do that to anyone else. It just seems to be on two or three occasions he’s dug Spence out.
‘But also, for me, he’s then relied on him and played him again. I agree it’s kind of mixed messaging.’
Spence has played in all four of England’s World Cup games so far, starting the ones against Ghana and DR Congo.
Terry believes that Tuchel wouldn’t treat Trent Alexander-Arnold the same way – and that that might be why he excluded the Real Madrid star from his squad
He was hooked in the second half of their last-32 clash after struggling against DR Congo winger Brian Cipenga, though he had been asked to play at right-back, his less familiar side.
Tuchel has not exclusively picked on the 25-year-old and has always been an explosive figure on the touchline.
After Cipenga’s opening goal squeezed past Jordan Pickford at the near post in the seventh minute, Tuchel threw his water bottle on the floor in rage.
In the first game against Croatia, he berated Pickford for his distribution and called over Noni Madueke after just a few minutes to issue some intense instructions.
Tuchel wears his heart on his sleeve and is not a timid character. He has had to apologise for saying that his mother finds Jude Bellingham’s behaviour ‘repulsive’, but his carrot-and-stick management of the Real Madrid star – including leaving him out of camps last year – has produced good performances from the midfielder.
His way of dealing with people has caused friction in the past. At Chelsea, part of his downfall was due to players finding him increasingly detached.
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