England started off the World Cup in fine fashion this week, blasting past Croatia with a convincing 4-2 win in their opening game. On the scoresheet was Jude Bellingham, who nudged England ahead early in the second half following an excellent move from deep, with a finish to match.
While it seemed unlikely that Bellingham would be left out of the England squad entirely, there has been plenty of debate over his spot in England’s starting XI over the past few months. The form of Morgan Rogers, combined with the impression that Thomas Tuchel was not a major fan of the Real Madrid star, have left a question mark over his importance. Last year, the German manager apologised publicly after calling Bellingham ‘disgusting’.
Bellingham called Ancelotti to regain Tuchel trust
Bellingham, it seems, was conscious that he was not in Tuchel’s good books last year, and decided to be proactive about it. Diario AS have revealed that Bellingham called former Real Madrid boss and current Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti to get his advice on the matter. Bellingham was keen to hear what Ancelotti had to say, due to his experience in the game, and his relationship with Thomas Tuchel. Whatever Ancelotti told him, it appears to have paid dividends.
Bellingham’s best form came under Ancelotti
Ancelotti was the manager behind his positional shift at Real Madrid, deciding to use him off the forward line rather than as a typical central midfielder, where he was playing for Borussia Dortmund. Dealing with a shoulder injury and a dysfunctional team around him, Bellingham has struggled to regain his form, but against Croatia, showed flashes of the player that scored 23 goals and gave 12 assists in his first season.
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