Jude Bellingham is going to have to fight to prove he’s worthy of starting for Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso’s new regime.
That’s according to European football broadcaster Andy Brassell, who believes the midfielder – left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad – could be getting back to his best.
Bellingham is not guaranteed to be a Real Madrid regular under AlonsoGettyBellingham has just returned from a long injury lay-off after undergoing surgery on his shoulder in July, and rather than coming straight into Real’s side, he’s seen his minutes limited with multiple appearances from the bench.
His first LaLiga appearance under Alonso, who took over from the legendary Carlo Ancelotti as manager at the end of last season, came late on against Espanyol on September 20.
Since then, he has made two more substitute appearances in the league, sandwiching a ten-minute cameo in the Champions League against Kairat Almaty and a questionable start in the Madrid derby, in which Atletico thrashed Real 5-2.
Bellingham’s most recent appearance on Saturday though, was his most impressive, as he helped inspire a 3-1 win against Villarreal.
He replaced Arda Guler after 64 minutes and played in a more advanced midfield role, completing all but one of his passes, one of them being key, as well as hitting the target twice.
“It really felt as if it was proper Jude Bellingham coming back,” Brassell told talkSPORT.com.
“Now, he was really rushed back to start in the Madrid derby against Atletico, I think that was a big mistake and he was left out in the Champions League at Kairat Almaty in the week, but I think leaving him out [against Villarreal] was sensible.”
“It was a great response,” Brassell added. “A, he’s being left out by England, and B, he’s being left out of the Real XI here against Villarreal.
“If you look at the fact that when he came on with 25 minutes to go, and there was time for him to influence the game, and the tempo of the game rose significantly when he came on, he was involved in everything.
“And I think seeing him in such an advanced position – so much has been made of the fact that Bellingham’s role changed completely after Mbappe’s arrived, and of course, that’s true – but it doesn’t need to completely go out the window.”
Bellingham appears to be taking up a No.10 role and thrived against VillarrealGettyBellingham brought forward
Since Real signed Kylian Mbappe last summer, Bellingham’s role has been impacted to accommodate their attacking stars.
He has often been asked to drop deeper rather than playing a false-nine role or even off the left, meaning his numbers have dropped after thriving in his debut season at the club.
But, Alonso used the 22-year-old in a No.10 position against Villarreal and that could now be where he’s able to excel again.
Brassell explained: “If you go back to the back end of his time at [Borussia] Dortmund, when he spent more time as an attacking midfielder, we know he’s very effective there.
“If he’s not playing as a sort of falsish nine, I don’t think that really matters. He’s got so much other stuff to offer.
“And I think everything that he has to offer that we’ve seen in the past for Real Madrid, for Dortmund, for England, everything that he can offer in the opposition box is what most people would like to see from Jude Bellingham, and what Jude Bellingham would like to see from himself.
Bellingham is hoping to get back to form amid a slow start to the season following his shoulder surgery“I thought it was interesting that he came on for Arda Guler, and it almost feels as if there’s two such different players.
“But that really is the competition, for the moment, at least. That doesn’t mean that would necessarily be the competition going forward.
“You’ve got Guler’s dribbling, or you’ve got Bellingham rushing into the box. Guler more likely to create the goal, Bellingham more likely to score it.
“But to see him raise the whole mood of the team, and to get them over the line, after such a difficult week, because, of course, they received such criticism off the back of that defeat against Atletico, I think is really important.”
Alonso brings ruthlessness to Real
Bellingham’s performance showed signs of his former self and gave encouragement that he can get back to his best after injury.
But he’s still going to have to earn a regular starting spot after comments from his manager amid reports of discontent in the camp.
Alonso spoke out about recent reports of his squad and Bellingham being unsettledGettyWith Alonso overhauling the squad and leaving players out regularly, claims of ‘chaos’ in the dressing room have come from the media.
But the Spanish legend hit back at those reports and has thrown out a gauntlet for his squad and Bellingham to prove they’re worthy of playing.
“So many whispers in various Madrid media outlets after the Atletico game, that there were some players who were unhappy with Xabi Alonso,” Brassell said.
“Which, in the most Xabi Alonso way ever, he came out and directly addressed that when he spoke to the media in the week.
“He said, ‘Well, yeah, players do get upset when they’re left out, and they should be, fine, that’s part of life, and it’s a difficult part of the job,’ but he’s not tried to duck it at all.
“And I think it’s quite interesting…I think the fact that he has positioned himself from a very early stage, not wedded to any particular tactical plan, necessarily. He’s tactically adaptable.
Alonso expects his players to be angry if they don’t play and he will ‘live’ with the rumours Three of Bellingham’s four LaLiga outings have come from the bench this seasonGetty“But I think he’s definitely wedded to the idea that Real Madrid needs to be a meritocracy, which is a massive departure.
“And obviously, you think of Real Madrid as a job where you manage superstars, and you manage superstar egos.
“He comes in, and all of a sudden, you have Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz with their noses put out joint, thinking, ‘Hang on, Franco Mastantuano’s only just arrived, and he’s a teenager, and he’s gone above us in the pecking order, how has this happened?’
“And Alonso just says, ‘Well, by being good, basically,’ it’s that simple.”
Brassell added: “It’s kind of the same with Bellingham, there were rumours that maybe he wasn’t happy about his role, and he didn’t really know what his role was under Alonso, well, here [against Villarreal], we saw exactly what it could be.
“But as well as it being Bellingham sort of making a statement, it’s Alonso saying, look, you get your opportunity in your spot, but then it’s up to you to keep that spot.
GettyAlonso isn’t planning on giving his superstars any exceptional treatment[/caption]“There are no guarantees. He really doesn’t care who players are. There’s no special treatment at all and that, for a Real Madrid coach, is unprecedented and really daring.”
Real’s new regime
talkSPORT’s Brassell has delved deeper into Alonso’s new approach that has rarely been seen at Real Madrid before.
He explained: “If we look at amongst recent Real Madrid coaches, and we look at [Zinedine] Zidane and [Carlo] Ancelotti, who had, despite both being politically adept, they had their own way of making their authority count.
“But Xabi Alonso has in a completely different way. And he, like them, was a superstar player and now he’s a superstar coach.
“Despite being at an earlier stage in his career than Ancelotti, already you can feel his mark on Real Madrid.
“It’s clear that they’ve got lots of things to fix, lots of things to change. They’ve got to find a sustainable way of going forward with Bellingham and Mbappe and presumably Vinicius Junior.
Real boast multiple superstars and they’re working under a new regime with AlonsoGetty“But I guess the important thing is that Alonso is representing Real Madrid in a way that maybe they haven’t been represented before.
“In the sense of, you’re at this club, you should be grateful to be here, and you’re going to have to fight for your place every game.
“And it doesn’t matter who you are. You cannot assume anything because you’re at Real Madrid.
“Not despite the fact you’re at Real Madrid, but because you’re at Real Madrid.”
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