Yet Tuchel opted for Bellingham was handed the start, but he and the rest of the England midfield struggled to make things tick through the opening 45 minutes. Despite having more attempts on goal than Croatia, England had less possession in the first half and passed far less accurately than Luka Modric & Co.
Tuchel said at half-time that he tried to offer some inspiration, and described his team talk as “calm”. That, however, seems a fairly unlikely scenario, especially given how assistant manager Anthony Barry’s criticised the Three Lions’ “complicated and confusing” first half, during which he claimed they became “fearful”. If that was the messaging, then it’s unlikely Tuchel delivered it in a low-key manner.
Whatever Tuchel said, it certainly seemed to strike chord – not least with Bellingham. England’s third goal was the perfect embodiment of the football Tuchel wants to play, and provided a strong advert for the midfielder that had misfired in the first half. Declan Rice stretched the play to create space for Anderson, who in turn whipped a pass down the line for Bellingham to run onto, stride forward and do the rest.
England were dominant from there, and Bellingham ran the show. He completed 100% of his dribbles and played three passes into the final third.
More important, perhaps, was the dirty work. Bellingham tracked back relentlessly and, at one point, when England were losing a shade of momentum, he put in a crunching tackle that brought a quivering stadium back to life.
