England Starting Lineup discussions have been shaped by one clear change at this World Cup: Thomas Tuchel has pushed Jude Bellingham higher up the pitch and given him more freedom to roam. The result has been a more aggressive version of the 23-year-old midfielder, who has scored four goals in five World Cup games and become one of England's biggest attacking threats.
That role shift matters because it has changed where Bellingham is doing his damage. At this tournament, he has played the bulk of his minutes as a No 10 rather than a No 8, which has put him closer to goal and into more advanced areas. For England, that has created another scoring source alongside Harry Kane at a crucial stage of the competition.
Why Bellingham looks different now
The comparison with Bellingham's earlier tournament performances makes the change even clearer. At the 2022 World Cup, he averaged 1.08 per 90 minutes. At Euro 2024, that number dropped to 0.8 per 90 minutes, and he was influenced largely on the left-hand side. This time, Tuchel has given him a freer central role, and Bellingham has responded with a higher attacking output of 2.67 per 90 minutes.
That is not just a small tactical tweak. It has altered his shot volume and his box presence, and it has helped England get more out of one of its most gifted players. The team still needs collective effort to go deep in a knockout tournament, but Bellingham's form gives England a difference-maker who can decide matches on his own.
England's top end is driving the tournament
After the victory over Mexico, Tuchel summed up the mood by saying, "If any team has heart and belief, then it's this team," and that confidence has carried into England's current run. The team has had multiple strong performers, but Gary Neville said this week that Bellingham has carried England, adding that he has been "unbelievable along with Harry Kane" over the last five matches.
Neville also said, "I can't speak highly enough of him," which reflects just how central Bellingham has become. His production has helped shape England's path to Saturday's World Cup quarter-final with Norway, and it raises an obvious question for the England Starting Lineup: if Bellingham keeps playing this high, can anyone really afford to move him back?
