By : Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
England must use Jude Bellingham’s intensity and fiery on-field behaviour to their advantage, manager Thomas Tuchel said after calling up the Real Madrid midfielder for next week’s World Cup qualifiers at home versus Serbia and away against Albania.
Bellingham was left out of Tuchel’s squad for the 5-0 victory over Latvia last month, which sealed England’s spot in next year’s World Cup finals in North America, sparking speculation of a player-manager rift.
Tuchel, who had previously apologised in June for saying that his mother found Bellingham’s on-field demeanour “repulsive,” played down talk of problems between the two in a press conference on Friday.
“There is no problem with him, there is no problem with the character,” Tuchel said. “Jude just has the edge, it is a very good thing because you need a certain edge to reach the heights that he reached.”
“I think we all need to help him and encourage him and create an environment in which he can live this edge towards the opponents and towards the goals we are building as a team.”
“The message is, ‘make sure you keep this thing going and make sure you accelerate the thing because we have something going here, we are building something, we are super-excited that you are back.’ The message is – ‘contribute to it.'”
Phil Foden also returned to the squad, with Tuchel saying he planned to deploy the Manchester City attacker in a more central role behind forward Harry Kane, rather than his usual wide position for England.
Foden scored twice for City in a 4-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday while playing in a similar position behind striker Erling Haaland.
“(Foden) will be in the number 9-10ish position, in the middle of the pitch,” the manager said. “Because I have this fantasy about him since a long time. I think it suits him the most.”
“The second goal (for City) against Dortmund is for me a key trademark Phil Foden goal. So he comes and supports Harry (Kane) more or less, plays maybe for Harry or whatever, in the nine and a half-ish role.
Thomas Tuchel has concluded and has welcomed Jude Bellingham back to the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, emphasizing the midfielder’s “edge” as a vital asset. Bellingham, 22, was omitted from the previous squad but has since returned to form with Real Madrid, scoring in three of his last four games. Tuchel praised Bellingham’s intensity, saying, “Jude just has the edge—it’s a very good thing.”
The manager stressed that England needs players who bring “a certain edge” to succeed. Bellingham will compete for the number 10 role alongside Phil Foden, who’s set to play centrally. “He’s strongest near the box—a mix between a 9 and 10,” Tuchel said of Foden. Tuchel dismissed past tensions, insisting there’s “no problem with his character.”
The squad’s focus is on building cohesion, not a “star system.” With qualification secured, the games are opportunities to test dynamics. Tuchel expects Bellingham to channel his fire into the team’s goals.
Photo credit– Reuters
