Tuchel Doesn't See Bellingham in the Starting XI: Battle for the Shirt Heats Up in England Before the World Cup

Tuchel's statements show that the competition for the shirt in the England squad has reached a high tone. The German manager directly accepted when asked whether Bellingham needs to fight for the starting XI and made the assessment "Yes, he needs to fight. He is one of our starting players and he knows it himself; but we have 14-15 potential starting players." Tuchel clearly divides the squad into three groups: potential starting XI players, names that can be given special duties, and players who will finish matches and carry energy to the field. It was confirmed that Bellingham is in the first group in this triple division but it was emphasised that he does not have an automatic starting XI right. Tuchel also did not give a clear answer about whether Bellingham is in the senior player structure called England's leadership group, which meets with the manager on tactical issues.

The bad period Bellingham is experiencing directly affected both his club and national team performance. The 2025-26 season he spent under the Real Madrid jersey went down in records as the weakest period of his career; Bellingham, who was able to produce only 9 goals and 6 assists in 46 matches, fell far behind his opening season of 23 goals and 13 assists in 2023-24. His output of 14 goals and 13 assists in the 2024-25 season had also been the beginning of the decline. Bellingham missed the opening of the season for Real Madrid due to shoulder injury, and the late-returning player could not catch a stable form. After the injury process, he could only be in the starting XI in four of the eight matches in the England national team's World Cup qualifying group. During this process, Tuchel's alternative Morgan Rogers became one of the names who gained the manager's trust by taking the field in all eight qualifying matches.

The rise of Morgan Rogers wearing the Aston Villa jersey poses a serious threat to Bellingham. The 23-year-old midfielder scored 14 goals and produced 11 assists for his club last season; this performance played a decisive role in Aston Villa winning the UEFA Europa League championship and earning the right to participate in the UEFA Champions League. Rogers stands out as the main candidate for the number 10 position in the England squad; the picture Tuchel applied in the New Zealand match in Tampa on Saturday also gave signals in this direction. In the match won 1-0 with Harry Kane's only goal, the manager played two different XIs in two separate halves; Bellingham came onto the field in place of Rogers in the second half and carried the captain's armband. Tuchel later explained that Bellingham's captaincy was not a special decision but happened because he was the player with the most international caps on the field.

England's World Cup opening match will be played against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17. The main name wondered about the eleven players Tuchel will prefer was whether Bellingham will be in the starting XI. The German manager announced Declan Rice as the official vice-captain, but did not make a similar binding decision for Bellingham. Tuchel's harsh criticism of Bellingham's on-field behaviour in June 2025 and subsequent apology shows that the relationship between the two is not easy. Tuchel had previously said that Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane could not be in the same XI; the current tactical structure in which the team is built with six, eight, ten and nine positions makes it necessary for one of these three players to remain on the bench. For Bellingham, the 2026 World Cup could be a tournament that will give direction to his career after the bad season at Real Madrid; however, Tuchel's last statements reveal that the English star may not undertake as dominant a role as he expected in this tournament.

Source: ESPN, Sky Sports

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