England will enter the World Cup with a six-game winless record, their longest before a major event, but will be buoyed by Jude Bellingham’s impressive performance against Germany.
On Monday at Wembley, the Three Lions were denied a morale-boosting victory in a thrilling 3-3 draw against the four-time world champions.
Within 12 minutes of the second half, 19-year-old Bellingham contributed to a comeback from a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 score.
The midfielder from Borussia Dortmund initiated the play that led to Luke Shaw scoring England’s first goal from open play in over 520 minutes.
Bellingham then sacrificed his body to earn a penalty kick that Harry Kane converted to complete the comeback before Kai Havertz scored a late equalizer for the visitors.
Southgate stated, “I think the most important thing is that he has a top-tier attitude for competition.”
“Yes, he has technical skill and athletic prowess, but what separates the best players from the rest is their belief that they are unbeatable.
They appear unfazed by any situation, which is exactly what we are witnessing.
Bellingham was a member of the England team that reached the final of a major tournament for the first time in 55 years at the postponed Euro 2020 last year, but he saw limited action.
Critics of Southgate have cited his obstinacy and commitment to players who have done well for him in the past.
This belief was misplaced in selecting Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, who was responsible for Germany’s first two goals despite being dropped by his club.
Bellingham may have also been hampered by Southgate’s dedication to the Euro 2020-winning midfield duo of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.
Phillips’ shoulder injury, which could keep the Manchester City midfielder out of the World Cup in Qatar, offered Bellingham a chance at Wembley, which he seized with both hands.
Child prodigy
Bellingham, a child prodigy, made his debut for Birmingham at age 16.
His boyhood club was ridiculed for retiring his number 22 shirt when he left after just one season in the first team.
“He stated his desire to be No. 10,” (creative midfielder). Mike Dodds, Bellingham’s longtime academy coach, told The Athletic, “I told him, ‘I think you can be a 22,’”
“When he asked me what I meant, I told him, ‘You can be a No. 4, a No. 8, or a No. 10 – someone who can do everything.’”
In spite of attention from Manchester United, he picked Dortmund due to the reputation of the German heavyweights for cultivating youthful talent.
Now in his third season in the Bundesliga, United, Manchester City, and Liverpool are likely to vie for his contract next year — Dortmund allegedly wants £150 million ($160 million) for his services.
“I was impressed when he was 17, imagine how I feel now that he’s 19,” commented City manager Pep Guardiola earlier this month after Bellingham scored against his team for the second time in the Champions League.
“He is an outstanding player. I believe everyone knows it.”
Southgate repeated after the encounter against Germany that he is willing to ignore “noise” from the media and supporters in order to demonstrate boldness in his convictions.
The England manager reaffirmed his intention to deploy a three-man defense and publicly backed Maguire and Shaw, who are also suffering for playing time at Manchester United.
However, it seems impossible that Southgate will not start Bellingham when England face Iran in their World Cup opener on November 21.
Former England player Jermaine Jenas wrote on Twitter, “Build everything around Jude Bellingham.” “He possesses the ‘I’ll do what I want’ mentality that our team requires!”
AFP