Thomas Tuchel, the current England manager, has recently shed light on Jude Bellingham's struggle to secure a spot in the starting line-up for the upcoming World Cup. According to Tuchel, Bellingham is one of "14 or 15 potential starters" vying for a place on the pitch.
Since taking over as England boss in January 2025, Tuchel has shown preference towards Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. The midfielder has been featured in 12 out of 13 matches under Tuchel’s leadership and was involved in all eight World Cup qualifying matches. In contrast, Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham has only started four times with an additional three appearances off the bench.
Thomas Tuchel, England manager, said:
"He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters. These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them."
Bellingham was once a mainstay on England's squad during Euro 2024 campaign where he missed just 29 minutes and started all seven matches. However, his fortunes have taken a turn under Gareth Southgate’s successor. The young player missed two qualifying matches last September due to shoulder injury and was overlooked for October’s international camp which included a qualifier against Latvia. He returned to the squad later but had to miss friendlies in March owing to persistent hamstring issues.
Controversy surrounding player-manager relationship
Bellingham’s relationship with manager Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been without controversy either. Following last June's defeat by Senegal, Tuchel described Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as "repulsive", an assertion he later apologized for.
Thomas Tuchel added:
"You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite. This is his key characteristic, but you can see that he comes from an injury and is full of energy and happy to be back on the pitch.
"He had his break, unfortunately, in a decisive part of the season, the Champions League season and campaign for the championship in Spain, so this was very unfortunate for Real Madrid and for him personally. But you can see now that he is actually in a sweet spot. He comes back, he's fresh, he wants to play and he's in top shape."
In November, following his reaction after being substituted during a qualifier against Albania, there were talks about reviewing his behaviour by coach Thomas himself. Despite these challenges, there seems to be a glimmer of hope for Bellingham. Tuchel was impressed with his performance in the recent World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand in Tampa. The young midfielder took the captain's armband after coming on at half-time and helped secure a 1-0 win.
Tuchel believes that Bellingham has hit a "sweet spot" heading into the tournament, indicating that he might still have a chance to fight for his place in England's starting line-up. While Jude Bellingham may face stiff competition and personal challenges, his recent performances suggest he is not out of contention yet. As sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts watch closely, it will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds as we approach the World Cup.
