CRAIG HOPE: Why Thomas Tuchel should leave divisive soloist Jude Bellingham out of his World Cup squad – it doesn’t matter how good a player he is, this is why his ridiculous antics threaten England’s shot at glory

Thomas Tuchel believes England can only win the World Cup as a selfless collective – how, then, is that possible with a divisive soloist like Jude Bellingham? Sadly, it is not.

This is not about Bellingham the footballer. He is wonderful, a generational talent. This is about the team-mate. The camp-mate. The pupil. It is about respect and harmony. It is about a team lifting a World Cup in New Jersey on July 19.

Tuchel’s mission since his first game in March has been that of Ego Warrior, taking a chainsaw to those he believes in need of a trim. In June, he referred to Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as ‘repulsive’ (his mother’s word) and noted his tendency to ‘intimidate’ team-mates. 

That was remarkable, but for Tuchel it should not have been regrettable. He was tackling the elephant in the dressing room. It is, however, a struggle he is yet to win, despite his best efforts in public and in private.

Because while the German has succeeded in much as head coach, Bellingham challenging his authority in Albania suggests he has failed to cut him to a size that fits the England ecosystem. To contest the manager’s decision to substitute him with six minutes to play was, quite frankly, ridiculous, needless and harmful. It created a distraction he and Tuchel could have done without, especially after a 2-0 win that ought to have celebrated England’s perfect qualifying campaign.

This is not a media storm, either. By twice flapping his arms in opposition to his withdrawal, Bellingham caused the butterfly effect that landed print on page. Until that point, coverage of his technical performance was positive.

Instead, here we have negativity. For former internationals to blame the media for the subsequent fallout is like blaming the mirror for the haircut. The truth is Bellingham needs to take a look at himself.

The question now, just when we thought his inclusion this month had answered any doubt, is whether Tuchel needs the threat of such unrest at next summer’s finals. If I were picking the squad tomorrow, I would remove that risk by removing Bellingham. 

Six weeks is a long time in the Big Brother house of North America. It requires a shared pulse, not those who can stray into a drumbeat of discord. Tuchel does not want any of his players heading to the diary room with concerns about another.

At Euro 2024, it is said, there was some irritation over Bellingham’s in-game demeanour and his refusal to share certain media duties. Tuchel is aware of this historical context. He is heavily invested in squad dynamic, and he and his staff have a model of profiling their players from a body language and interaction perspective.

Some of it is objective and scientific. Some of it is subjective and depends on the instinct of the observer. Each player is given a number unrelated to goals or assists. Those who parade a No1 complex will find their score is just as low.

That is why Tuchel should be revisiting his reintroduction of Bellingham. In his absence, over two camps and four wins in early autumn, the blueprint for next summer was laid. An intra-squad hierarchy settled, but not one where the leaders carried with them a pedestal. Harry Kane and Declan Rice were captain and deputy, Jordan Henderson the chief whip without ego. It worked, and the proof was showcased during 5-0 wins in Serbia and Latvia.

The counter-argument is that to then beat France and Spain you need a player of Bellingham’s influence. 

But why? They have Kane, Rice, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jordan Pickford. There is enough individual quality, if fuelled by a collective spirit, to beat any opponent.

For too long in this country we have been obsessed by a singular young man carrying the nation’s hopes into a major tournament. Prayer mats for David Beckham’s metatarsal in 2002. Prayer mats for Wayne Rooney’s metatarsal in 2006. Prayers in the years prior that Paul Gascoigne would, for a few weeks at least, avoid beer mats.

Gareth Southgate began the transition to England United, less reliant on isolated inspiration. But then, at Euro 2024, he indulged celebrity and lost what had made his management so good, prioritising names on the back over the badge of the front. 

Tuchel, whose native country have won three World Cups since England’s last, will place his trust in the constellation, not shooting stars. 

Small details make a big difference at tournaments and even a minor show of narcissism can knock things off course – see the Netherlands’ failure to win anything since Euro ’88 despite a wealth of enviable talent.

The plan was for Bellingham to be part of Tuchel’s brotherhood, and maybe it still is. There are four months until March’s friendlies, so maybe this will all blow over. But Tuchel, like the elephant he confronted in June, does not forget.

He seemed irked by what happened in Tirana and did not seek to protect Bellingham when asked about it afterwards. The irony is, in making the substitution just moments after the midfielder was booked, protecting him is exactly what he was trying to do.

A second yellow would have ruled him out of the first game of the World Cup, and clearly that was an occasion for which he wanted him. But does he still? That we cannot be sure – Tuchel said he would ‘review’ the incident – is staggering.

Surely Bellingham knew that this camp was a trial of temperament as much as talent. 

If he cannot pass that test in the relative calm of a dead-rubber qualifier, it won’t be a referee who shows him his next card, it might well be his manager.

And what a shame that would be were petulance to undermine the gift. For Jude Bellingham is a footballer who should be England’s leading light, not its recurring flashpoint.