Jude Bellingham starting for England might become a serious fight for the 22-year-old English midfielder. The Real Madrid star has been injured for some time this season, but has still managed to play in 40 matches for his club.
Jude Bellingham starting for England is a question that still might be on the minds of most of the football lovers in the world, and as of now, Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa seems to be the frontrunner for the number 10 spot for the Three Lions.
Jude Bellingham Starting For England: What Can The Real Madrid Star Bring To The Three Lions?
Jude Bellingham starting for England in the World Cup will mean that Rogers will have to start on the bench. If one takes a look at Rogers’ stats for Aston Villa, he has 31 goals and 24 assists in 125 matches for Aston Villa in the last three seasons.
On the other hand, Bellingham has 46 goals and 28 assists in 140 matches for Real Madrid. He has played in a total of 272 matches for Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund and has scored 70 goals.
The number of assists is quite similar, but Bellingham shows a greater ability to score goals. Still, it has to be considered in this context that a very good 2023/24 season, which saw him score 23 goals in 42 matches, is responsible for his goal count, and Bellingham has failed to replicate that kind of form for his club since.
Rogers has been the most consistent number 10 in the Premier League in recent years, aside from Bruno Fernandes for the last few seasons and Rayan Cherki this season.
However, Bellingham has superior experience of playing for his country, having earned 47 caps and scoring six goals. Rogers, on the other hand, has a solitary goal for England in 13 matches.
This World Cup is going to be Rogers’ first major international tournament, while Bellingham has played in the 2022 World Cup and the European Championships in 2024.
All of that means that Bellingham should feature in the starting XI against Croatia. Against the Croats, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson should play in the double-pivot, thereby strengthening Bellingham’s chances of playing as the number 10 in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
If Bellingham underperforms against Croatia, Tuchel can always go back to Rogers and play the more consistent Aston Villa midfielder.
Against lesser teams like Panama, Anderson could be dropped to accommodate both Bellingham and Rogers in a 4-3-3, with the former playing as a number eight and the latter as a number 10.
Bellingham has played as a number eight for both Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the past, and it is not a position that he is not familiar with.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Joshua Kimmich To Paris Saint-Germain: The Shock Transfer That Almost Happened
Thomas Tuchel Leaning Towards Rogers As His Starting Number 10
Tuchel might have an affinity for starting Rogers, given the reluctance he has shown in the past to play Bellingham as a number 10. Tuchel is likely to start Rogers as a number 10 with Rice and Anderson behind him in the match against Croatia.
Rogers arguably has better ball skills than Bellingham, while the latter is a better physical player.
The Aston Villa midfielder will be a better player to have if the team wants to play more passes in the final third, while Jude Bellingham starting for England will benefit the team when they play direct football.
However, starting Rogers will mean undermining the experience of Bellingham of playing for the Three Lions.
It remains to be seen whether Tuchel opts for the Aston Villa playmaker while choosing his starting XI in the first World Cup match. Jude Bellingham starting for England will mean that Tuchel respects his experience for both club and country.
Leave a Reply