Thomas Tuchel believes Jude Bellingham is now displaying his "full potential" as the Real Madrid star closes in on a landmark 50th England cap against Ghana. The Three Lions boss highlighted the burgeoning partnership between Bellingham and Harry Kane as a potential route to World Cup glory.
Bellingham, who turns 23 on June 29, is set to reach the half-century milestone in Tuesday's friendly, a remarkable achievement given his age. His performance against Croatia was singled out by FIFA's technical study group, with analyst Paolo Wanchope noting Bellingham's "very intelligent" play and Kane's unprecedented ability to drop deep.
Tuchel Praises Bellingham's Team Ethic
Tuchel emphasised that Bellingham's commitment to the team ethic has been crucial. "In general I saw a strong team performance, I saw the full potential of Jude and the full commitment," Tuchel said. "There is no doubt that a game and competition like this brings out the best in him but it needed improvement, the connection between Jude and Harry, the connection between Jude and Declan and Elliot, it needs improvement and needed improvement and it's a big step."
The England manager added: "Jude played fully into our idea and was fully committed to the team idea and team spirit and to play in full cohesion with everyone else. He was very important, super reliable."
England's Second-Half Revival Against Croatia
England produced a dominant second-half display against Croatia, but Tuchel admitted the "tricky part" is replicating that from the start against Ghana. England conceded late in the first half before roaring back. "That is a tricky part, to keep the level up but first of all, I am very happy because we found an answer to adversity," Tuchel said. "We conceded in a very tricky moment, last shot of the first half and then came up with the best 25 minutes, or best 30 minutes as an answer when we were very, very strong."
Tuchel expects a different challenge from Ghana, who he anticipates will rely on counter-attacks. "I expect more ball possession. I expect Ghana to rely on counter-attacks because they are very physical, very fast and dangerous in counter-attacks," he noted.
Defensive Improvements Needed
Despite the win, Tuchel stressed that defensive lapses must be addressed. England conceded two goals against Croatia, and the manager said the team dropped too deep at times. "We need to do things better. I think defensively we dropped a little too deep from a middle block into a low block and deep block, which is, in itself, not a problem, but we went a bit too early. Maybe it is good that we conceded, because it just tells us 'let's not do this again'," Tuchel explained.
He added: "We need to manage these ball wins better. And in ball possession there is also stuff to improve. When do we accelerate the game, and how do we give the man on the ball more options in the gaps and show a bit more confidence into what makes us strong?"
Tuchel Confident in Team's Progress
Tuchel insisted the team deserved the win against a top-11 opponent and that the experience will be valuable. "We had a well-deserved win against a top-ten opponent of the World Cup. And we have a lot of positives to take away, and I expect a very different team and a very different set-up now. And we need to improve especially our structure with the ball to be ready to defend counter-attacks before they become dangerous," he said.
