METLIFE STADIUM — On his day, there is nobody like Jude Bellingham. He is such an intricate talent, however, that unlocking his true potential is a challenge that can twist the greatest footballing minds into knots.
He has all the physical attributes to be a devastating No 10. His tactical awareness and in-game intelligence make him the perfect foil for a juggernaut of a goalscorer like Harry Kane too.
For England especially, Bellingham can drift in and out of the game all too readily as a staccato shadow striker. It has become the leitmotif of Thomas Tuchel’s England reign so far.
To his credit, Tuchel has failed to succumb to a problem that has stumped others who came before. His decision to move Bellingham deeper alongside Elliot Anderson against Panama, with Morgan Rogers playing off Harry Kane, was certainly a bold one.
It is not a system that the dogmatic German would perhaps deploy against elite opposition – effectively a front five – but Bellingham’s all-action, high-octane display – with one goal and sublime assist to fire England to top spot in the group – provided a potential answer to the quandary managers often find themselves in over the Real Madrid star.
Kane and Bellingham rise to the occasion (Photo: PA)Shifting to a flatter 4-3-3 should therefore be considered as England’s weapon of choice going forward. If a fit-again Declan Rice cannot be left out, and Anderson’s metronomic abilities are impossible to omit, then Bellingham alongside Tuchel’s go-to pair may well become that previously elusive winning formula.
The pouring rain in New Jersey gave the MetLife Stadium a home-game feel for England. A much-changed England would surely be energised by Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford’s return, against a team they thrashed 6-0 in their last World Cup meeting. This was, to all intents and purposes, a shoo-in, a matter of many England would score.
In the opening 45 minutes, Kane had 10 touches, fewer than any other player on the pitch. A top-heavy England looked vulnerable on the counter, while again struggling to break through a low block.
Rashford came close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions, but otherwise it was a familiar tale of England unable to make use of their possession domination to any great effect.
Panama are not the international backwater they used to be. Since that 2018 humbling in Russia, they have finished runner-up in the Gold Cup and Nations League, beating the United States in the latter semi-finals.
They still represented opposition a team as talented as England should put to the sword. Especially when the big players step up. Kane finally had an impact early in the second half, forcing a fine save from Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, before Bellingham eventually made one count, volleying home from a Saka corner.
The sashay inside and clipped cross onto the head of Kane to secure victory was the difference between a nervy end and cruising into the knockout stages as group winners.
Dropping into wider positions to create such match-defining moments may not come about if operating closer to Kane, as an orthodox No 10. Engineering space is not an easy task on the international stage, but Bellingham’s change of position at least creates half spaces the very best thrive in.
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England: I took England fans’ rip-off £75 train journey in the US Mark Douglas: Trust David Beckham to make the World Cup all about himselfThis set-up may be too kamikaze later on, but creating a role for Bellingham from deep is still possible.
The Panama experiment just about paid off, but the formula is not 100 per cent proof yet. One thing is for sure: Tuchel’s most pertinent task is to replicate Bellingham the deep-lying force again in the knockout stages.
The results could be devastating.
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