Jude Bellingham finds his true self

Although he did not score, Jude Bellingham made two assists, won a penalty, and was the most prominent factor in England’s “5-star” victory over the Republic of Ireland, in the final match of Group B2 of the UEFA Nations League 2024/25.

Caretaker manager Lee Carsley has stuck with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but has made a few changes to the starting lineup from the win over Greece a few days ago. In particular, in defence, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento started; and Harry Kane returned to the striker position.

Meanwhile, the role of attacking midfielder continued to be entrusted to Jude Bellingham. Against an underdog opponent like the Republic of Ireland, the star wearing the number 10 shirt turned Wembley into a stage to freely dance and show off his amazing skills.

After a stalemate in the first half, the Three Lions exploded in the second half, scoring five goals. Jude Bellingham turned the game around in the 51st minute, with a clever tackle in the box that forced Liam Scales to commit a foul, earning him a second yellow card, and a penalty, allowing Harry Kane to score.

Although he did not score directly, Jude Bellingham later made a pair of assists. In the 75th minute, from a free kick with Curtis Jones, slightly to the left wing in the direction of the home team’s attack, Bellingham passed the ball conveniently to Jarrod Bowen to make a decisive strike. And then, just 4 minutes later, he made a classy flick with the outside of his right foot, creating an opportunity for Taylor Harwood-Bellis to jump high and head the ball into Caoimhin Kelleher’s net.

In addition, the 21-year-old star touched the ball 116 times, made 83/93 accurate passes (89%), created 3 decisive passes, 2 big chances, 3/4 crosses were on target, 3/4 long balls were perfect, 1 successful dribble, had 7/19 duels won, 1 clearance, 1 interception, and made 1 tackle.

In theory, Jude Bellingham plays the role of an attacking midfielder. But in reality, he does not fix his position, instead he is free and comfortable to move widely across the attacking front. With the one-sided game that England created, the player wearing the number 10 shirt does not have to worry too much about supporting the defense.

In Lee Carsley’s tactical operation, Jude Bellingham is like a key, opening up many solutions to approach the opponent’s goal. He connects harmoniously with Curtis Jones and Conor Gallagher in the middle of the field, cutting clear balls out to the wings for Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon, while always providing abundant ball for striker Harry Kane.

Of course, Republic of Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson knew the great danger that Jude Bellingham posed. For that reason, he assigned defensive midfielder Nathan Collins to stick closely to the England star. But then, before Bellingham ‘s magic , Collins and his teammates were completely defeated.

Previously, in the 3-0 win over Greece, also in the role of “number 10”, Jude Bellingham played impressively, bringing many strange and unpredictable situations, and twice sending the ball into the opponent’s goal.

After a period of decline in form, both for his country and club, Jude Bellingham is now gradually finding his true self, with top-class football. He holds the ball confidently, turns it around cleverly, observes carefully, makes razor-sharp passes, and has unexpected moves.

Jude Bellingham’s timely rise helped England overcome Greece in Group B2, thereby officially returning to League A in the UEFA Nations League next year. Lee Carsley will leave the interim position, making way for Thomas Tuchel, opening a new era for the “Three Lions”. And one thing is almost certain, Bellingham is still considered a key player in the transition period.