Thomas Tuchel fires Jude Bellingham warning over England role

Jude Bellingham will head back to Real Madrid next following a key week away on England duty under new boss Thomas Tuchel.

Bellingham completed 90 minutes in a No.10 role in Tuchel’s first game in charge as England cruised to a 2-0 Wembley win over Albania.

Tuchel has been brought in with the clear objective of winning the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and an opening qualification victory could be the first step on the road.

The former Chelsea boss is expected to make some bold changes to England – both tactically and in personnel – but Bellingham’s spot looks unmoved.

Bellingham has looked more settled back in an advanced position under Carlo Ancelotti since the start of 2025 with 11 goals scored across all competitions.

Jude Bellingham — Image via Getty Images

However, Tuchel is a stickler for positional discipline, and he indicated Bellingham still has a lot to learn about playing within his system.

“He is always ready to give everything, but we also need to help him, so that within a structure he can play more economically and still have the same impact on the game, or maybe even more of an impact,” as per quotes from The Guardian.

“We need to make sure that the leaders – and he is one of the leaders – and the main players, all walk in the same direction and play in the same rhythm and help each other out.

“And also play a little more disciplined at times maybe, to save some energy for those decisive moments in matches.”

England fans will likely have a mixed reaction to Tuchel’s comments, as Bellingham’s goals played a key role in their push to the final of UEFA Euro 2024, before losing out to Spain in Munich.

However, he only has three goals at an international tournament, with only one scored in a knockout game in one of those competitions.

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