Jude Bellingham has opened up about the bad atmosphere behind the scenes at Euro 2024 – and his words hint at why Thomas Tuchel was keen to get the team chemistry right
Jude Bellingham gives insight into team dynamics (Image: Eddie Keogh/The FA via Getty Images)
Jude Bellingham has been brutally honest about England’s failure at Euro 2024. And Bellingham should be praised for revealing the truth about his country, and the Football Association for defending it.
Real Madrid star Bellingham revealed that England “did some things wrong off the pitch” and said “the group connected well for different reasons”. Bellingham made the remarks while sitting alongside Morgan Rodgers at the FA’s Lion’s Den show, and the two had great chemistry.
Against this background, this was appealing as many fans must have been wondering what he was doing as England were still in the final they lost to Spain two years ago. But the truth is that the camp was not as harmonious as it was in 2022 or the 2018 World Cup or the last Euros.
And that must have been a lesson for Thomas Tuchel when choosing his squad for this World Cup, with his comment about needing “good tourists” looking particularly apt.
Former England manager Gareth Southgate made a number of changes to his squad at Euro 2024, but while there were suddenly a ton of new players coming in, they didn’t necessarily gel.
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The connection Southgate had enjoyed with generations of players suddenly faded and was replaced by new up-and-coming bands. It wasn’t a matter of ego. Learn more about unity and connection.
Every team needs the right chemistry, and if it’s lacking, you’re in big trouble. That’s why managers have to be careful about picking young players who are hungry to play and get upset when they don’t. If all of a sudden some players get fed up and think they should be playing, it can cause problems within the group.
Bellingham talked about “hierarchies” in an interview with Lion’s Den. Previous tournaments didn’t have such a tournament, but 2024 does. Players knew who would play, but those who didn’t have a chance quickly became disillusioned. Everyone needs to come together and move in the same right direction, which creates harmony.
Team harmony is important for Thomas Tuchel (Image: JC Ruiz/PA Wire)
Of course, every player wants to play. But bad vibes and resentment can quickly spread, especially when families are nearby and think their players should start, as England did after the Euros.
It wasn’t a fun camp. There was definitely a commotion. It was different from the 2022 World Cup, where everyone was united. To begin with, Jordan Henderson wasn’t there.
Henderson missed out on the tournament, but drove around Europe to watch and cheer for England in the final. It was one of the great stories of the euro.
Rodgers described Henderson as “the best guy I’ve ever met in football”. Asked about the backlash to Henderson’s call-up, Bellingham said, “They have no idea what they’re talking about…” Sometimes it’s not about the team, it’s about the team.
Harry Maguire was absent due to injury. But would he have been happy as a sub? When Maguire spoke in March, it was tough to say he was willing to play every minute. He felt like he was telling the truth, but he couldn’t convince Tuchel to pick him.
Harry Maguire has been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad (Image: Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
It’s not just a question of form and quality, as Tuchel brought in Dan Byrne rather than Maguire. Again, I can only imagine this is a chemistry problem. Tuchel was not happy that Maguire had made it public that he had been snubbed. Perhaps that has been proven.
But it’s also about young players. Tuchel personally believes that only 21 players will take part in the tournament. That means five people cannot receive a kick. Two are backup keepers. Then the other three should be happy campers too.
Perhaps that’s where Henderson and Byrne come into play. They are happy and in harmony, but another aspect Bellingham mentioned was the need to feel loved, and that “the guy who decides the winner in the World Cup final” could be an unsung hero or an unlikely hero.
A sense of unity is absolutely necessary. That was Tuchel’s driver. And of course, one of Tuchel’s biggest dilemmas is whether to choose Bellingham, the biggest name and star of the England team, or No. 10 Rodgers.
When I saw the two of them sitting together at the Lion’s Den show, it felt real and there was a real sense of togetherness. That’s exactly what England need this summer.
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