Graeme Souness observed that Jude Bellingham’s performance noticeably declined whenever England was behind in the Euro 2024 tournament, as the young midfielder tried to compensate by overextending himself and taking unnecessary risks. Souness, a former Scotland midfielder, highlighted that although Bellingham is highly skilled, he still has much to learn and develop. He suggested that the pressure of the tournament likely influenced Bellingham’s performances.
On William Hill’s new podcast, Three Up Front, Souness remarked, “Bellingham has the potential to be a fabulous player. I think what happened was that when England went behind and were chasing a game and things weren’t going well, they ended up trying too hard and taking too many touches.”
Souness, a former Liverpool player, also criticized the senior England squad members for not better supporting Bellingham, particularly in shielding him from media pressure. He argued that the team’s leadership should have protected Bellingham from undue criticism and tough questions instead of allowing him to bear the brunt of the team’s shortcomings.
“The big players, the leadership group within the England side, were quite happy for Bellingham to take the flak from the media and deal with those difficult questions that were coming his way,” he said. “I felt that he got set up and someone needs to explain to him that he’s a young man learning the game, he’s a mile off being the finished article – he should just keep wanting to learn every day. I’d blame the senior players in the England camp for that.”
On the same podcast, Troy Deeney shared his thoughts on Bellingham’s situation, pointing out the unrealistic expectations placed on the young midfielder ahead of Euro 2024. Deeney noted that Bellingham did not have a poor tournament but faced heightened expectations due to his success with Real Madrid.
“I don’t think Bellingham had a poor tournament,” Deeney stated. “I just think our expectations were very high and we went into the tournament thinking we had the best number 10 in Jude – he’s not that yet. That was the expectation having won the league and the Champions League with Real Madrid.”
Currently, Bellingham is on a post-season break after a demanding season with Real Madrid and the England national team. He will miss Carlo Ancelotti’s pre-season trip to the USA and is set to rejoin his club teammates in August ahead of the UEFA Super Cup on August 14.
Jude Bellingham
EnglandReal Madrid performance and stats
