Are England Better Without Bellingham?

Are England a better team without Jude Bellingham in it? A question that may have seemed preposterous only a few weeks ago but one which now has real validity.

First of all, there is no doubting that Bellingham is an extremely talented player, certainly one of England’s most talented and possibly one of the most talented players in the world. That isn’t the debate we’re having here.

Talent alone doesn’t necessarily mean that a team is better with that player in it although I will concede that in the vast majority of cases it obviously does.

I ask the question because I believe there is a strong possibility that England are better without Bellingham but more importantly than me, I feel Tuchel may also be thinking along those lines.

Whilst the last two results and performances have been excellent, the poor level of opposition also has to be considered when we discuss whether Bellingham’s inclusion would have improved or weakened the team.

That is something we can’t say for sure either way, but I seriously doubt we could have played better or won more emphatically with Bellingham in the team.

I know he saved us with that last minute wonder goal in the Euros but that was one match. In general, he was very poor in the Euros in my opinion and his poor performances, not those of Kane and Foden, were the main reason we could only stumble through against poor opposition.

Like I say, I am not questioning his ability but his attitude and application as a team player leave a lot to be desired.

His best performances in an England shirt came as a young player who had just broken into the team with many people not knowing much about him.

As his reputation has grown, he has become more arrogant and makes it all about himself rather than the team. I do think he needs some level of arrogance to make him the player that he is, but he has gone way beyond that now. There are also many occasions during games where he tries to do everything himself or holding on to the ball for far too long when passes are on and this is usually to the detriment of the team.

Southgate didn’t have it in him to reign Bellingham in, and it looks as though Tuchel might have. If not being in this squad gives him the kick up the backside, he needs to be more of a team player, then he would be a welcome addition to any side.

However, if he reacts the wrong way then I think there could be a danger that he doesn’t make the squad let alone the team.

If he is in the squad but not in Tuchels’ first eleven for that first world cup fixture, then it could go one of two ways. He could knuckle down and work hard to ensure he gets back in the side or if he adopts a poor attitude then being in the squad would be more trouble than it’s worth just in terms of squad harmony.

For me at the moment, I feel we look a better team without Bellingham in it. I would love to be proven wrong but from what I have witnessed over the last 18 months we seem to play a lot better without him in the team.