Thomas Tuchel urged Jude Bellingham to “play more economically” while the New England manager seeks to build his team around the dynamic midfielder.
The boss of Three Lions said that Bellingham was “a key player” but that the Real Madrid star “tried to do too much” when England started his 2026 World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory against Albania at Wembley on Friday in the first match of Tuchel in charge.
Harry Kane, record scorer of all time in England, scored his 70th Senior International goal after the beginner Teenage Miles Lewis-Skelly gave the guests the lead following a perfect Bellingham pass.
It was a solid beginning rather than puffy of the reign of Tuchel and the former boss of Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG quickly highlighted several areas requiring attention.
Recharge time ⏱ pic.twitter.com/x63egzodmc
– England (@england) March 22, 2025
One of these facets identified by the German was the contribution of Bellingham, which, according to Tuchel, must show more discipline in order to preserve the energy.
“He is a key player for us and will be a key player,” said Tuchel about the 21 -year -old. “It is now our work to find the structure and space to make the most of him.”
“He had a few moments of highlighting, but sometimes he thought he might try to do too much.
“He is always ready to give everything, but we must help him so that in a structure, he can play more economically and always have the same impact, or perhaps even more impact.
“We must make sure that the leaders, and that he is one of the leaders and the main actors, walk in the same direction and play in the same pace and help each other. And perhaps play a little more, to save energy for the decisive moments.”
Tuchel also underlined his desire for Bellingham to channel his emotions but praised his character and his competitiveness on the field.
“He likes to speak to the referee and men of line,” said Tuchel. “He is a very emotional player once he is on the field and you just see that he hates losing and does everything you need. He is expressed.
“You see hunger and the desire to win. I think he will keep this hunger and learn to channel emotions a little. It’s never a problem. It’s good to have it as he is. We will try to get the best of it because he is a key player.”
The next step for England is a visit to Latvia on Monday evening while Tuchel aims to win two victories of two.
