England manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken about the balance between keeping his players happy and ensuring there is contention for spots after Jude Bellingham was left on the bench against Serbia.
Manager Thomas Tuchel predicts England players will be “angry” if they do not start at the World Cup, as long as they are rooting for the team. Tuchel insists that successful teams are always united and cohesive, evidenced by the fact that even substitute players are cheering on their teammates from the bench.
The England manager said it was “absolutely no problem” that Jude Bellingham did not start against Serbia at Wembley, and said all of his substitutes in the second half had a big impact. Tuchel said: “You can be angry at the manager, you can be angry at the situation, but if you look at the countries that won and the clubs that won the Champions League, the benches are standing up.
“For the last eight to 10 minutes, there wasn’t anybody sitting there thinking, ‘I should be on the field, I should be on the field, why am I not there?’ They’re just there. We experienced this once in a great game against Chelsea, it was non-stop, everyone was pushing off the bench and fighting, even if they weren’t selected, and we were all ready.
“This will make the difference in the end and I strongly, strongly believe that we should arrive with such a team. Even if they are disappointed, it is completely normal. They will never be happy and they do not need to be happy. Nobody is used to sitting on the bench. This is the nature of a strong national team.”
read more: Wayne Rooney names England stars who will miss out on World Cup squadread more: Phil Foden’s reaction after the England star came on as a substitute along with Jude Bellingham speaks volumes.
Bellingham could start in England’s final World Cup qualifier against Albania on Sunday and is already guaranteed a place in the United States.
The Real Madrid star faces a huge battle to win back his place in the England squad from close friend Morgan Rodgers, but Tuchel insists Bellingham has accepted the situation. Bellingham didn’t make the final two teams, so now they have to bide their time.
Let us know what you think. Should Jude Bellingham be assured of starting for England at the World Cup? Please comment below.
Tuchel added: “It was no problem at all. I explained it to him before the team meeting. As soon as he came on, he played good, well, with all his strength and the right energy, full of quality up front. We’ve had three great performances with Morgan, so one of the reasons was to keep him in this position.”
“However, we knew that Serbia would struggle with possession, so once we had clear information, we thought it would be better for Jude to play in the second half, so that was the decision we made.”
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