Bellingham: England got things wrong off the pitch at Euro 2024

England kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Croatia at the AT&T; Stadium on Wednesday night; Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers are battling for the No 10 role in Thomas Tuchel's side; the Real Madrid playmaker has claimed things were not right off the pitch at Euro 2024

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>Jude Bellingham has claimed things were not right off the pitch in England's camp at Euro 2024.

>Despite reaching the final, where they were beaten by Spain, Sir Gareth Southgate's side were far from convincing during their run in Germany.

>New manager Thomas Tuchel has spoken of creating a "brotherhood" in the squad as he tries to win the World Cup this summer.

>And Bellingham, speaking from inside England's camp in the United States, said that was not the case at the European Championship two years ago.

>"At the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch," he said on England's Lions' Den show.

>"I don't feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. Expectation was part of it - we had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar [for the 2022 World Cup] and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.

>"We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn't get the feeling you were as happy as you should be.

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>"There has to be that element of relentlessness and wanting to win, but it is the nature of football that wins go out of the system quickly and we should hold on to that moment a little more.

>"I think this time round having those experiences... and knowing, for example, that the guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn't always the one you'd bet your house on, so you've always got to be ready, everyone's got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team. The other thing is just to enjoy it."

>England needed Bellingham's last-minute overhead kick to force extra-time against Slovakia in the last 16, penalties to beat Switzerland in the quarter-finals and then a last-minute goal to get past Netherlands in the semi-finals.

>Bellingham's intervention against Slovakia was one of England's most memorable moments in tournament football, but he says the shine was taken off it by the manner of the goal.

>The Real Madrid midfielder added: "I still remember how I was feeling at the time. It always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable because it was such a bad situation.

>"We weren't playing well. I remember as a kid watching World Cups and Euros where we crashed out against teams we shouldn't have gone out to and I remember thinking, 'Wow, I'm about to be a part of one of those moments'. It shakes up the whole of English football."

>Bellingham faces a fight for a starting role in England's World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday as Tuchel appears to have pitted him against Morgan Rogers in a straight shoot-out for the No 10 position.

>The pair have a close relationship, having grown up in the same area in the West Midlands and played junior football together.

>Bellingham, who advanced his case for winning the shirt with a fine display in Wednesday's final warm-up win against Costa Rica, said there are no problems between the pair.

>"As a person, he [Rogers] is a top guy, he can get along with anyone, can have conversations with anyone," Bellingham said.

>"He can be a bit loud. We have debates that turn into arguments a lot. But we get on like brothers, to be fair.

>"The manager has made it very clear in a lot of the times where he has spoken that we are playing for the same position.

>"I know that has eased up a bit more now that he sees me playing more positions and Morgs playing more positions, but I honestly have no ill feelings when he is playing and I'm not playing."

>Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, meanwhile, reckons Bellingham is the second in charge in the squad behind Harry Kane.

>"It seems that way. He enjoys that pressure," Keane said. "Yes, he's had a difficult spell at Madrid, he's had a few injuries.

>"But we've seen in the last week, he looks a bit narky, but I think that maybe helps his game. And he's the player who embraces the pressure of being the main man. Harry is captain and has that title, Bellingham's not far behind."

>Coping with the pressure and expectation will once again be a factor in England's mission to win the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

>"If you're born and raised in England, you should be proud of that achievement," said Keane of the 1966 success. "Has it added pressure to the players over the last few tournaments? I think sometimes maybe it's an excuse. I think they should be proud of it and get on with it and embrace it and not feel it's a pressure.

>"If you look at those [1966] players, and go: well if they can achieve it, and England over the last few years have had enough quality, why haven't we done it?

>"There have been a number of reasons for it, but that should maybe spur them on, not put too much pressure on them."

>Ten days ago, you'd have to say that Morgan Rogers was ahead of Jude Bellingham in the England pecking order.

>Proof lay in the fact that he featured in all eight of England's World Cup qualifiers, while Bellingham played in half as many.

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>Even out here in the US, Tuchel said directly that Bellingham had a fight on his hands to win a starting spot.

>However, over the two friendly matches, the consensus is clear that the Real Madrid man outplayed his close friend from Aston Villa.

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>The fact that Tuchel praised Bellingham's workload off the ball against Costa Rica was significant. As was the fact that he wore the captain's armband in both Florida friendlies.

>Both are sure to get minutes in this World Cup, but as things stand it seems Bellingham is more likely to be a starter.