Supporters made their feelings clear after Bellingham was once again denied a start in the World Cup qualifier
England 2-0 Serbia (Saka 28’, Eze 90′)
WEMBLEY – Thomas Tuchel is not for turning. In vogue in England camp this week were some bright red “mind-altering shoes”, which look like oversized Crocs but supposedly give players focus by tapping into the brain’s sensory areas. If there is one man whose mind is not going to be changed by some fancy footwear or dissenting fans, he can be found in the dugout.
For Jude Bellingham, message received. This could well be the XI that starts next summer’s World Cup and he’s not in it. In turn, England fans made their anger at that decision clear – his introduction from the bench brought a louder cheer than Wembley mustered for Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze’s goals.
Tuchel’s relationship with supporters can still feel fraught. In Latvia, they berated him with “are we loud enough for you?” after he had criticised the atmosphere on limp Wembley nights like this.
The trouble for those out of favour is that the current system, powered by grafters not Galacticos, is working. On debut, Nico O’Reilly hit forward a hapless clearance from goalkeeper Predrag Rajković and the rebound fell to Saka, whose exquisite volley was the glimpse of quality England needed.
Inspiring, Tuchel’s men are often still not, but he can have no complaints about the noise levels this time around. Watching England in the torrential rain in a dead rubber match is not for the faint-hearted at the best of times.
Under new manager Veljko Paunović, Serbia were a totally different beast to the side thumped 5-0 in Belgrade in the reverse fixture in September. If nothing else, they provided good practise for the other gritty frustrators who lie in wait at the World Cup. They even came close themselves through Dusan Vlahovic’s backheel.
There is a danger, of course, that when he is not using Phil Foden as a false nine as he did for a spell here, Tuchel becomes too wedded to an ideal. Morgan Rogers was lively enough to justify his selection and Reece James was superb down the right, but the likes of Bellingham and Eze must feel they can earn their place too. They still might. Eze certainly did his chances no harm with that fine finish in the last throes.
Marcus Rashford was given his own dose of hope with a start and showed decent movement. His touch still betrayed the lack of confidence which accompanied his recent years on these shores, rather than the assured, explosive forward expressing himself at Barcelona.
Dean Henderson and James Trafford, meanwhile, still cannot get a game, which risks an inexperienced back-up group should injury befall Jordan Pickford as it did briefly in the first half. With nothing at stake, now was the time to experiment. Likewise, Tuchel insists he has not totally closed the door on Danny Welbeck, yet named a squad without an alternative to Harry Kane as Ollie Watkins plays through “discomfort”.
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So none of this strikes anybody as entirely foolproof; the important thing is that Tuchel’s record is bulletproof: seven wins out of seven qualifiers with no goals conceded.
It is worth remembering too that he knows the ways of English football’s ecosystem from his time at Chelsea. He knew what he was doing when he chose not to play down Bellingham’s omissions as an ongoing recovery from surgery, instead going to town on his worst excesses and questioning his temperament.
For now, whatever the fans think, he has earned that right. So long as they are winning, Tuchel can argue he can keep dropping the most talented Englishman of his generation, no matter how loudly the crowd cries “Jude!”