Jude Bellingham has been three different players in England’s three World Cup matches so far.
His importance at international level should really no longer be up for debate. He was England’s matchwinner against Panama: his goal, assist and another commanding display securing his country’s place in the World Cup knockout stages.
The numbers back up the eye test – across the group stage, no England player consistently influenced games more – but they also expose Thomas Tuchel’s biggest tactical dilemma in the struggle to get this side to fully purr.
Initially expected to play further back alongside Elliot Anderson, Bellingham’s dynamic role on Saturday night nevertheless made it three group stage games now where he has looked like three different versions of himself.
The question is no longer whether England should build around him, but how they consistently put him in the position where he hurts opponents most.
Three games, three roles
Against Croatia, Bellingham looked every inch England’s attacking midfielder: three shots, 0.68 xG, four touches inside the penalty area and two completed dribbles making him a consistent threat.
It was not just what Bellingham did on the ball but off it – his goal coming from exactly the type of late run defenders struggle to track.
Against Ghana, though, everything changed. Six touches inside the box – an improvement on the previous game’s tally – suggested Bellingham remained involved, but the underlying numbers told a different story.
His xG fell to just 0.01. His expected assists dropped to 0.03. He won only a third of his offensive duels and contested a much higher five defensive duels — more, in fact, than in any either of the other two group-stage matches.
Bellingham was still busy – he just wasn’t hurting Ghana.
But that would all change yet again against Panama. In 73 minutes, Bellingham scored once, assisted once, created two chances and posted 0.38 xG alongside 0.38 expected assists.
He won nine of his 12 offensive duels and recovered possession seven times in the opposition half, leading England’s aggressive press.
The goal may have looked simple, Jorge Gutierrez more focused on holding Bellingham back than making a concerted effort to clear the ball, but it came from an intelligent run to meet Bukayo Saka’s corner.
The assist, meanwhile, was an inviting cross that Harry Kane powered home – the kind of chance England need to be creating more of for their main man up front.
This was Bellingham operating where England need him most: where he can win games.
Freedom – but at a cost
The obvious conclusion is that Bellingham simply enjoyed greater freedom against Panama. The reality, however, isn’t quite that simple.
Declan Rice played every minute against Ghana, yet Bellingham still spent much of the evening helping England control possession rather than attacking the penalty area.
Against Panama, Rice was absent altogether, with Elliot Anderson partnering Morgan Rogers in midfield. Bellingham immediately played higher – and England immediately became more dangerous.
But they also became more vulnerable. Bellingham and Rogers regularly pushed forward during the first half, leaving Anderson isolated and exposing England to counter-attacks.
The soon-to-be Manchester City midfielder rose to the challenge – he made five defensive contributions and seven recoveries – but Anderson was too often left on his own and was dribbled past three times, more than in any other group stage game (the next closest being against Ghana, when it happened only once).
Panama, who arrived in their final group game without a point and have left without scoring a single goal, still managed 13 shots against England – one of the favourites to win the World Cup ahead of the tournament.
That’s the trade-off: the more freedom Bellingham receives, the more responsibility falls on those around him. Against stronger knockout opposition, striking that balance will become significantly harder.
Kane reaping the rewards
One relationship has become clearer with every game. Machine Football’s model assigns Kane and Bellingham a predictive chemistry of 74, a strong score that how naturally their movements should complement each other.
The data merely confirms what the eye test shows: Kane drops, Bellingham runs beyond. Against Panama, that partnership produced both England goals and Kane’s 11th World Cup strike, moving him ahead of Gary Lineker as England’s record tournament goalscorer.
Kane recorded eight touches inside the penalty area against Panama. Against Ghana, he managed just two. The difference wasn’t Kane’s performance – we analysed after Tuesday’s game how he remained influential but could rightly have been disappointed with his teammates for not exploiting the space he created.
Instead, it is Bellingham who could provide the key to this. When England’s number 10 attacks central spaces instead of helping recycle possession, Kane has more runners around him, more service into the box and more opportunities to finish moves.
The partnership works – England simply need to create the conditions for it to flourish.
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