Table of Contents
- Qualification for the World Cup
- Concerns About Player Fitness
- The Bellingham Debate
- Tuchel's Strategy
- Bellingham's Squad Status
- Conclusion
WELL, England has qualified for the World Cup — so it must be time to start worrying.
It’s a long-standing tradition in this country to fret about whether star players will be fit and available for a major tournament.
Thomas Tuchel may have discovered the best solution to the Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden discussionCredit: Getty
All three missed the last England squadCredit: Getty
The broken metatarsals sustained before the 2002 World Cup and four years later led us to publish cut-out prayer mats in this paper.
As it turned out, those prayers were only partially answered — Beckham and Rooney made it, but neither was at their best, and Rooney received a red card in a quarter-final loss to .
Those of us with longer memories can recall Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking arriving half-fit for the 1982 World Cup, followed by much concern about Bryan Robson’s troublesome shoulder.
Last summer, went to the Euros struggling with fitness and, although he fought hard all the way to the final, he was a mere shadow of the player who is now excelling for and .
Hopefully, we won’t need any divine intervention regarding Kane’s fitness next summer, but what about England’s other undeniable world star, ?
And what if the Real Madrid Galactico might not be in America?
Not for any fitness reason, but because there is a genuine possibility that may not be selected. Such a scenario should not even be considered.
Bellingham is a winner and a key player at the most prestigious club on Earth. He has been a game-changer for England in tournaments and has earned 44 caps by the age of 22.
And yet Tuchel’s team has appeared stronger without him. They have also looked better without . And without , too.
During last summer’s Euros, Bellingham and Foden were awkwardly forced into the same team by the former manager — and they seemed to struggle, while Palmer’s spot on the bench was lamented by the nation.
But through a fortunate turn of events — injuries to Bellingham and Palmer, a drop in form for Foden — Tuchel has stumbled upon the solution to the issue. Simply don’t play any of them.
If he had been in charge of England’s Golden Generation, perhaps Tuchel would have left out and .
After a rather dull start to his tenure, the German witnessed an inspired England demolish 5-0 away, followed by the same scoreline in Latvia, securing a spot at next summer’s exciting 104-match football extravaganza.
— a close friend of Bellingham — played a crucial role in Serbia, as well as in the 3-0 friendly victory over , and is currently the preferred choice at No 10.
Tuchel appeared annoyed every time Bellingham’s name was mentioned during this last international break.
Fair enough, he was concentrating on the players who were present and who have scored 13 unanswered goals in three consecutive victories.
However, the question of Tuchel’s stance on Bellingham remains a complex one.
In a now infamous talkSPORT interview, the day after England’s surprising friendly defeat by in June, Tuchel’s headline quote was that his mother sometimes found Bellingham ‘repulsive’ when watching him on TV.
We can only imagine the fiery response from Bellingham’s father, Mark — known as Britain’s angriest man — to that remark.
Tuchel apologized profusely for the comment, but — considering that his mother’s opinion is not particularly relevant — the more intriguing quote from that same interview was Tuchel’s impression that Bellingham can often intimidate his own teammates.
This was not an uncommon sentiment. Bellingham’s most significant moment in an England shirt — the incredible injury-time bicycle-kick equalizer to prevent disaster against at the Euros — was celebrated by the player exclaiming, “Who else?”.
This seemed to reinforce the notion that Bellingham can stand out in an otherwise cohesive England squad.
Those who know Bellingham — and the public doesn’t know him well, as his father ensures he rarely speaks publicly — say that he is intelligent and personable.
Tuchel himself acknowledges this, and yet, having decided to stick with the winning team from that outstanding display at the home of Red Star Belgrade, he chose not to include Bellingham in the squad this month.
After two substitute appearances for Real following a shoulder operation, Bellingham had declared himself fit and available.
Yet if Bellingham is not a guaranteed starter, why include him in the squad? He is not someone who simply accepts a “good tourist” role, content to play a minor part.
So, while next month’s qualifiers against Serbia and Albania are now inconsequential for England, it will be interesting to see whether Tuchel
