Jude Bellingham has been allowed to play with “freedom” - and England are reaping the rewards.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate revealed that he felt too much responsibility was being placed on Bellingham’s shoulders in the United States game. That is what prompted Southgate to put Jordan Henderson back into midfield and allow Bellingham to get forward and break from deep to create chances.
The partnership between Bellingham and Henderson has paid off and they look dovetailed in the heart of the England engine room. Southgate said: “I felt the game against the States, we were putting tremendous responsibility on Jude and that was a game which was difficult to work out the midfield - the pressing and the problem solving.
“We thought Jordan helped that and we think he is giving Jude a bit more freedom and he does not need to be quite as positionally disciplined. At the moment, he is still young and is still learning when to press and when not to press.”
Southgate also believes he will get the best out of Henderson and says his influence on the squad is bigger than ever. He added: “I think this is the best version of Hendo we’ve had. He looks in good physical condition, touch wood. His influence on the group is fantastic, always has been. And to chip in with a goal against Senegal, he really deserves that.”
Southgate insists England’s young generation have already got the experience levels to cope with big World Cup matches.
Former England boss Fabio Capello has warned the shirt has weighed heavily on the shoulders of players in the past and was the main reason for previous failures. But the likes of Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden have embraced the challenge and look comfortable on the biggest stage.
Southgate said: “There have been lots of moments when to play with England is difficult. It’s a different sort of challenge to your club, it’s far more scrutiny.
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“As we’ve said before, you play for your club, there are 20 stories every weekend and now there’s only one, really, with respect to the Championship and League One that are going on. So you have to be able to handle that.
“When we’re selecting players, we’re looking at their ability to handle that mentally as much as anything else. And these young lads that have come in are showing that. But you never know until they are in these moments how that’s going to be.
“But the team do have good experience of these big games now. We had a lot of caps on the pitch against Senegal, even the younger ones because we’ve blooded them early and we’ve given them experiences. It’s meant the depth of the squad but also the experience on the pitch is better than it’s been for quite a while.”
