Thomas Tuchel deserves enormous credit for what Jude Bellingham has become for England. Not because he discovered his talent — everybody could see that years ago — but because he refused to worship it.
Bellingham did not need another manager constantly reminding him how special he was. He needed one prepared to leave him out, challenge his behaviour, demand more from him and make absolutely clear that being England’s biggest young star did not guarantee anything. Tuchel did exactly that.
Now look at the result. England destroyed Croatia 7-0, inflicting the heaviest defeat in their history, and Bellingham was outrageous: one goal, three assists, relentless running, leadership, pressing and an attacking influence Croatia simply could not contain. By the end, he was wearing the captain’s armband.
This was not one freak performance either. Bellingham scored seven times at the World Cup as England reached the semi-finals, has been England’s player of the year twice in succession and now looks more comfortable, more destructive and more disciplined within the national team than at any previous point.
The transformation becomes even more striking when you remember where this relationship stood only 12 months ago. Tuchel left Bellingham out of an England squad despite his status and made it clear that reputations would not dictate selection. His message was effectively that the best collection of individuals does not automatically make the best team.
That was exactly the confrontation England needed. For too long, elite English players have reached a level of celebrity where managers start managing around their status instead of managing them. Tuchel went the other way. Bellingham would fit England, not England fit Bellingham.
Compare that with Gareth Southgate’s final tournament. Bellingham produced magnificent individual moments at Euro 2024 — including the extraordinary overhead kick that rescued England against Slovakia — but the wider attacking structure was confused, passive and frequently dependent on somebody producing something from nothing. Bellingham became both saviour and lightning rod.
Southgate clearly valued him enormously, but too often England seemed to admire Bellingham’s personality rather than channel it. He was allowed to roam through games inside a team lacking attacking clarity, then unsurprisingly felt like a scapegoat when the entire system struggled.
Even at Real Madrid, different coaches have searched for the perfect version of him. Xabi Alonso wanted greater positional efficiency and viewed him more conventionally as a midfielder. Álvaro Arbeloa praised him as a leader and cornerstone. Each saw the talent. Neither produced quite this devastating blend of structure and freedom that Tuchel is now extracting for England.
Tuchel did something more uncomfortable. He challenged Bellingham’s status first and then expanded his responsibility. What has emerged is not a diminished star but a better one: aggressive without becoming chaotic, liberated without becoming tactically indulgent and increasingly capable of dominating games without requiring the entire team to revolve around him.
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Tuchel understood that Bellingham needed boundaries, not worship
There has always been an extraordinary amount of noise around Jude Bellingham.
Some of it is entirely justified. He was captaining Borussia Dortmund as a teenager, moved to Real Madrid and immediately behaved as though the Bernabéu had been waiting for him all along. He has the physique, technique, personality and competitive aggression of somebody designed to dominate major football matches.
But enormous talent creates its own managerial danger.
The bigger the player becomes, the easier it is for coaches to stop challenging him.
Tuchel refused.
Leaving Bellingham out in October 2025 was a huge decision precisely because everyone assumed Bellingham had become automatic. Tuchel could easily have recalled him after injury simply because his name demanded it.
Instead, he protected the collective.
That communicated something far more important than any motivational speech: England existed independently of Jude Bellingham.
And that is exactly what a player as dominant as Bellingham needed to understand.
The paradox is beautiful. By showing Bellingham that England could function without him, Tuchel has made England far more dangerous with him.
Southgate had the superstar — Tuchel has built the footballer
Southgate deserves credit for giving Bellingham responsibility early and trusting him at major tournaments.
But his final England team never consistently solved the tactical problem created by possessing so many attacking midfielders.
Bellingham and Phil Foden repeatedly occupied similar spaces. Harry Kane dropped deep. The left side lacked natural width. England became compressed centrally and increasingly cautious whenever games became difficult.
Bellingham often responded by trying to solve the problem himself.
That produced extraordinary moments.
It did not produce a consistently functioning attack.
There is a difference between giving a great player freedom and asking a great player to rescue you.
Southgate crossed that line too often.
Southgate had Bellingham the match-winner. Tuchel is developing Bellingham the system-breaker.
Under Tuchel, his positioning has become more aggressive rather than less. He is sometimes operating beyond Kane, arriving into the penalty area and attacking spaces instead of collecting the ball 50 yards from goal and feeling responsible for everything.
That is not restricting him.
It is focusing him.
The Croatia destruction showed exactly what has changed
Bellingham’s performance in Rijeka was almost the perfect demonstration.
He was everywhere without looking as though he was trying to be everywhere.
There is a huge difference.
His three assists came within a coherent attacking structure. Kane was involved. Saka was involved. Gordon was involved. England attacked with movements and counter-movements rather than simply handing Bellingham possession and waiting for inspiration.
Tuchel has spoken about altering the positioning after the World Cup, particularly making Bellingham more offensive.
The payoff against Croatia was spectacular.
He was arriving around Kane rather than competing with him for the same territory. England could overload both sides. The wingers stretched the pitch. Bellingham attacked the central spaces created between them.
Suddenly the supposed problem of fitting England’s biggest attacking talents together looked much less complicated.
Good management can have that effect.
The strongest objection is obvious: Bellingham is simply brilliant
There is an obvious counterargument.
Bellingham is 23, entering his physical prime and already one of the most accomplished players in world football. Of course he is improving. Tuchel cannot claim personal ownership of that development.
Correct.
Bellingham himself deserves most of the credit. His talent, mentality, training, experience at Real Madrid and natural maturation all contribute enormously.
Nor should his club managers be dismissed. Alonso attempted to impose greater structure on his game. Arbeloa recognised his leadership qualities. His development has been cumulative rather than the product of one coach waving a magic wand.
But managers matter because environment matters.
Tuchel did not create Bellingham’s ability.
He created consequences around it.
That is the crucial difference.
You play because you fit the team.
You keep your place because you perform.
You receive responsibility after accepting responsibility.
Even somebody as famous as Jude Bellingham can be left out.
That framework appears to suit him magnificently.
England should learn the bigger lesson from this
The temptation now will be to declare Bellingham untouchable again.
That would completely misunderstand why this is working.
Tuchel’s England is becoming interesting because nobody seems entirely protected by status. Jordan Pickford has been challenged. Declan Rice is being told competition exists. Big-name players have previously been omitted.
Bellingham should remain subject to exactly the same principle.
That does not mean manufacturing confrontation for effect. Tuchel does not need to criticise him every international window just to demonstrate authority.
It means maintaining the standards that produced this version of him.
Bellingham’s fire is part of his greatness. Trying to remove it would be idiotic. Tuchel’s achievement has been learning how to point it in the right direction.
There will still be disagreements.
There should be.
Bellingham openly challenged Tuchel’s assessment of England’s performance against Norway during the World Cup. These are two forceful personalities. Nobody should expect a permanently gentle relationship.
But elite football does not require manager and superstar to spend every day agreeing.
Sometimes friction is productive.
England finally have a manager prepared to manage their biggest personality
Bellingham could become England captain.
He could win the Ballon d’Or.
Roy Keane is already talking about the possibility of him eventually entering the conversation around football’s greatest players.
That ceiling is extraordinary.
But the biggest compliment Tuchel has paid him is refusing to act as though he has already reached it.
Twelve months ago, Bellingham could not even assume he would be selected.
Now he has emerged from a World Cup with seven goals, is terrorising Croatia with four direct goal contributions and is increasingly becoming the centrepiece of England’s attack.
That is not what happens when tough management destroys a great player.
It is what happens when the right great player responds to it.
Southgate nurtured Jude Bellingham.
Real Madrid developed Jude Bellingham.
Thomas Tuchel has challenged Jude Bellingham — and that may prove to be the most important thing any England manager has done for him.
The lesson for England is simple.
Do not start worshipping him again.
Keep demanding more.
Because the terrifying possibility for the rest of Europe is that this version of Jude Bellingham still is not the finished one.
This article is an opinion and analysis piece. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views or official position of BettingTips4You.com or BSpin Limited.
