Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham are not close and perhaps never will be but it doesn't matter

You don't have to be a body language expert to work out what Jude Bellingham made of ITV interviewer Gabriel Clarke's revelation that Thomas Tuchel had not been impressed by England's performance against Norway in Miami. Irritation was written across Bellingham's face.

'Whatever,' said the 23-year-old, the adrenaline of the 120 minutes against Norway still cursing.

But the truth is that – fascinating as the dynamic is between manager and star player - it doesn't matter. Not now. Not here.

Tuchel's relationship with Bellingham remains of interest. The back story is too fresh in the mind for it to have been buried completely beneath an avalanche of World Cup goals.

However, what matters right now is that we are seeing the version of Bellingham that this England team needs and that this manager needs. Motivated, driven and intense.

So vital is England's No 10 right now – in both meanings of the word – that it is not an exaggeration to say England would not still be in this World Cup without him. Whatever goes on in the background is of absolutely no matter as the goals go in.

Harry Kane wears the captain's armband for England and has scored as many goals as Bellingham's six so far. But the younger man is this team's spiritual leader out here in America. He is the best player in the tournament – it's been a high bar this round – and his influence only grows.

Bellingham glowered at Clarke's mention of Tuchel's criticism. It was impossible not to notice and it probably opened something of a window into a relationship that has never run in a straight line.

He appeared offended, not only for himself but on behalf of his team-mates.

He subsequently suggested that his manager knew not what it was like to toil in such conditions and he was right. It was utterly brutal in Miami. Forget Mexico City and its altitude, this sapping Florida Saturday was the real test of mind and body at this World Cup.

What matters now is how Bellingham and his team-mates respond ahead of Wednesday's titanic clash with Argentina in Atlanta. Bellingham – if the evidence of his career so far is to be trusted – will only take a step forward and he now has the power to take others with him.

Tuchel and Bellingham are not close and perhaps never will be. Their relationship was described as a 'perfectly adequate working one' when questions were asked of those who would know at the start of the tournament. There is no reason to suggest it will change now. And it is working where it matters. On the field.

The England coach has a tendency to say what he feels. The media and, more often than not, the England fanbase will always appreciate that. Players won't always. It's about choosing moments and Tuchel grabbed this one.

It's hard to blame him and impossible to disagree. England didn't play well against Norway. They haven't played particularly well all tournament. Every previous time he has been asked about it, he has feigned disagreement and backed his players. This simply felt like a manager deciding it was time to try something new ahead of the improvement his players simply must find if they are to actually win this thing.

It's an old trick and he will not have worried for a moment about Bellingham's reaction. He has, as we know, said much more memorably disparaging things about the Real Madrid player in the past.

And the funny thing, of course, is the one player who would have been exempt from Tuchel's criticism – if he were to break it down – would be Bellingham himself. He is the one – as even Kane missed some beats against Norway – who has kept his levels of technical excellence high all summer.

It's remarkable to think Bellingham was not guaranteed a place in the starting eleven for so long ahead of this World Cup. The fact that he established himself as his country's most important player as early as the first game against Croatia only shows how, between them, manager and player have managed to get this one right.

Sometimes two forces pushing against each other can manage to come up with the right kind of natural forward momentum. And yes, it can be a very delicate balance. Good results help to keep everything from toppling over.

England have a number of good results behind them here in the United States and as such all that matters now is the obstacle in pale blue and white stripes that awaits on Wednesday.

Tuchel, in his own way, has Bellingham fit, firing and motivated ahead of the biggest game of both their lives against in Atlanta. He will be grateful for that and there is a chance that, one day if not quite yet, Bellingham will feel the same too.