Micah Richards has taken a playful swipe at Alan Shearer after the Newcastle legend suggested Jude Bellingham should be dropped from England's starting XI before the World Cup. The debate over England's preferred No.10 dominated pre-tournament discussion, with Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Bellingham all in contention. However, Foden and Palmer were omitted from Thomas Tuchel's squad, and Bellingham has cemented his place as one of the first names on the teamsheet with a series of stellar displays, including three man-of-the-match performances.
Bellingham's Brilliance in Mexico
In a thrilling last-16 clash at the iconic Azteca Stadium, the 23-year-old Real Madrid superstar scored twice in two minutes to give England a commanding lead against co-hosts Mexico. Despite Jarell Quansah's red card, Tuchel's men produced a resilient 3-2 victory, with Harry Kane's second-half penalty proving decisive. England will now face Norway in the quarter-finals at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
Richards, speaking on The Rest Is Football, said: 'Now we're cooking! Honestly, England were outstanding. In that first half, all the things we talked about on the podcast from the start, in terms of being dynamic, having that cohesion, being aggressive and really believing in themselves. I thought they showed everything from start to finish.'
Richards Takes Aim at Shearer
Richards then turned his attention to Bellingham's heroics, using the opportunity to mock Shearer's earlier comments. 'Alan didn't want to start Jude in the tournament. Now look at him! Who else? Who else?!' Richards exclaimed. 'He's constantly in the WhatsApp group talking about, "Well I called this team, I called that team!", but he wasn't starting Jude! I look at him now… eh? Who else?!'
Gordon's Resurgence
Richards also heaped praise on Anthony Gordon, who bounced back from a slow start to play a central role in the victory. The Barcelona summer signing earned a penalty and impressed with his pressing and dribbling. 'He was brilliant and I feel as though he needed that performance because there's been a lot of talk about him and Marcus Rashford, who should start and who should come on,' Richards said. 'All the headlines coming into the tournament was about who is going to start – Rashford or Gordon? – and up until this moment he's not really produced his best stuff. But tonight he was brilliant! The way he wanted to take people on, the way he wanted to press, the way he got the penalty… everything about his game was dynamic.'
Quansah's Red Card
Richards also commented on Quansah's sending-off, calling it 'a little bit unfortunate' but understanding the decision. 'I thought he was a little bit unfortunate, he got the ball but then it was the follow-through so I understand why he had to get a red card,' he said. 'All in all, I'm just absolutely delighted for them because it feels as if we've been waiting for that moment and we knew they had it in them. We've seen them play well under Gareth Southgate at times and get to finals, but that was a Tuchel-like performance which we expected to see maybe a bit earlier, but it came at the right time.'
