Football

LONDON – Thomas Tuchel has made the astonishing claim that England can win the World Cup without Jude Bellingham.

The England manager has sent shockwaves across the game by refusing to recall fit-again Bellingham for this month’s friendly against Wales and World Cup qualifier in Latvia.

Tuchel said at Wembley that he doesn’t want to disrupt the team spirit and harmony he believes contributed to last month’s thumping 5-0 win in Serbia.

He has made only one injury-related change – Bukayo Saka for Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke - from that squad and has stressed there is no guarantee that Bellingham and indeed Phil Foden and Jack Grealish will get back in.

It seems unfeasible that Bellingham in particular will not be on the plane to America, but when it was put to Tuchel by Mail Sport that it’s impossible to win the World Cup without your most creative players, a remarkable exchange ensued.

“Do you have proof of that?” asked Tuchel.

“Do you have proof?”

Asked again whether he agreed that teams with creative players win matches, he didn’t budge.

“But do you have proof of that?,” Tuchel repeated.

“Doesn’t it count what we did in the last camp? I have proof that last camp was our best camp. I stick with the squad”.

Asked if one good performance in Serbia was enough evidence to leave out Bellingham and others, Tuchel doubled down.

“At the moment, yes,” he added.

‘It’s enough evidence. I think a lot of people will understand the decision, because it’s a clear decision. It’s three weeks ago that we had the best camp, the best performance so far under my responsibility. Why would I not stick with the same team?”

England manager Thomas Tuchel. (Pic: The Independent)