Jude Bellingham Suffers From Same Problem As Thomas Tuchel’s England

Bellingham once again rode to the rescue for a deeply misunderstood side.

Jude Bellingham forced through England’s breakthrough. | ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

Jude Bellingham didn’t try to hide his disdain for the sleek silver Player of the Match trophy handed to him after England’s goalless draw with Ghana last Tuesday.

“I didn’t deserve it, to be honest,” the Real Madrid man shrugged. “It probably should have gone to one of their lads who defended so well.” He emphatically deserved all the individual recognition thrust his way on Saturday.

As England labored towards another frustrating stalemate with Panama in the murky conditions of a rainy New Jersey day, Bellingham’s ferocious endeavor finally bore fruit. It was the 22-year-old phenom who swatted the Three Lions in front from a corner before rubber-stamping a 2–0 victory which confirmed top spot in the group by teeing up Harry Kane’s header.

This was the latest example of Bellingham assuming center stage, all main character energy and alpha male aura encapsulated by that signature celebration of puffed-out chest and outstretched arms. Yet, that isn’t his character at all. Bellingham suffers from the same problem as Thomas Tuchel’s England team: they are both chronically misunderstood. That may help them make each other better.

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Bellingham a Victim of His Own Success

Jude Bellingham delivered. Again. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

The treatment of Bellingham, particularly in the English media, is as unfounded as it is depressingly predictable. Like so many talented, young Black players before him, any whisper of confidence is decried as “arrogance.” Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright eloquently captured the contradiction perfectly on the Stick to Football podcast last year.

“He goes out there, he performs, he does what he does. It’s too uppity for these people,” Wright pointed out. “They all love N’Golo Kanté. He’s a humble black man, gets on with what he’s doing. But if you get a [Paul] Pogba or a Bellingham, and you get that kind of energy, that does not sit well with people. Someone like Jude frightens these people because of his capability and the inspiration he can give.”

Jordan Henderson reflected earlier this summer that he “finds it hard to read” criticism of his amiable compatriot. “If you ask any player in the group, they’ll tell you how much of a good teammate he is, how well he trains,” the veteran midfielder insisted. “We all know what he can do, and how much we all love him inside the camp, and I suppose that’s the main thing.”

Once again, Bellingham proved precisely what he could do when his team needed it most.

Jorge Gutiérrez had two arms wrapped around England’s No. 10, who flung out a left leg while still locked in the embrace. Only once the ball had nestled in the bottom corner did Bellingham shed Gutiérrez’s clutches to celebrate.

Not content with a single-goal advantage, Bellingham burst behind the loosening stitching of Panama’s rearguard with the sort of movement which no one else in red had bothered (or conceived) to make across the preceding hour. A drop of the shoulder created enough space to pick out Kane who couldn’t miss this glaring opportunity.

With three points secured, Tuchel removed his difference maker at the next break in play to preserve him for the round of 32. It was telling that the team quickly reverted to the tepid play which had defined the first 62 minutes of another stodgy encounter.

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This England Is Built for a Different Challenge

Harry Kane (center) struggled to find space. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Bellingham is as misunderstood as this England roster is as a collective. Tuchel did not select a side to break down low blocks for two principle reasons: this is not the challenge which will decide the biggest World Cup knockout ties and there is arguably no set of players on the planet guaranteed to succeed in these conditions.

Even the great Pep Guardiola fears such opposition. When he visited a Bayern Munich fan club while manager of the German giants, the legendary Catalan coach made it clear how difficult it was to break down a 5-4-1 formation. “That’s not easy,” he stressed in that manic sort of whisper he can slip into.

“It doesn’t matter what happened 75 years ago or in the next 50 years. If the opposition team has their players like that, it is never easy.”

If anyone doubted that, England spent three hours proving how difficult it is to unpick a stubborn rearguard. Across two games against Ghana and Panama while the score was level, the Three Lions racked up 996 passes but could only muster six shots on target before Bellingham’s volleyed finish.

Tuchel has instead picked a team built deliberately to harness the strengths of the Premier League for when the knockout stages get underway.

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Tuchel’s Plan Now Under Scrutiny

Now is when the tournament starts for Thomas Tuchel. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

“The tournament starts again now,” Tuchel declared postmatch. No side in the knockouts will be as demonstrably defensive as England’s previous two opponents, which should give this collection of stars a chance to properly shine.

When asked for his preferred style of play at the announcement of his first England roster, Tuchel had a clear idea. “I think it needs to reflect the Premier League,” he grinned. “The Premier League is a very physical and demanding league. I think we should be brave enough to play like an England squad. We should not try to copy other nations or other styles—it just reflect the values of the country with the strongest league in the world.”

As Arsenal have discovered, even the best Premier League teams struggle against low blocks. Where they thrive, however, is against foreign opposition which lack the inherent physicality and industry to cope with their English counterparts. Whether Tuchel can inspire such performances in the heat of the U.S. at the end of a long, hard club season is another matter, but this is what England should be judged on.

No one can be blamed for failing to unpick the lock of a door with a sledgehammer. But if you can’t break it down with that tool, then any criticism would be justified.

Tuchel is certainly confident. “We have the team spirit, fighting and belief,” he warned. “We will step up. The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.”

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