Paul Scholes says the England midfield “just isn’t right” and wants Thomas Tuchel to change it for Saturday’s last group game against Panama. His sharpest point was about Jude Bellingham: he does not see him as a No.10.
Scholes said Bellingham is “not a No.10” and called him “a No.8 who can run.” He added that a No.10 is the player who gets a team playing “really good football,” while Bellingham should be “arriving in the box late.”
Tuchel and Elliot Anderson
Tuchel has already signaled he may move pieces around after the 0-0 draw with Ghana on Tuesday. He said he was “not even sure” about a full rotation even if England had beaten Ghana, then added that he is “not shy to do some rotation now.”
The England boss also made clear the changes might not be wholesale. “Some players should be on the pitch but maybe it will be more moderate. It’s not always fair if you just rotate your players in and say, ‘Okay, let’s perform.’ Let’s see,” he said on Wednesday. He praised the centre backs as “good together” and said Elliot Anderson had taken “a step forward and a good performance, maybe a bit better than against Croatia.”
Rice, Anderson and Bellingham
The midfield argument is about balance, not just names on a teamsheet. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opening game, then labored through the 0-0 draw with Ghana, and Scholes said he would not be surprised if Tuchel changed the side against Panama. He went further, saying that when a team expects a lot of the ball, it does not need Declan Rice and Anderson together.
Wayne Rooney backed the same broader idea from a different angle. He said these are the kind of games when a team needs “a Phil Foden or a Cole Palmer,” calling them “Clever players in tight areas,” and linked that need to Rice’s strengths in linking play. The point lands back on Bellingham, whose role is now under the clearest scrutiny of the tournament so far.
Tuchel has not been forced into a full overhaul, but he has openly left the door open to change. Scholes has already decided where the problem sits. Whether Tuchel moves Bellingham deeper or picks a different midfield shape against Panama on Saturday is the part left hanging.
