Graeme Souness has slammed senior England players for "setting Jude Bellingham up" during their run to the final of Euro 2024.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Souness suggested that Bellingham's performance suffered notably when England found themselves trailing in the tournament as the midfielder attempted to do too much and take unnecessary risks on the ball. The former Scotland midfielder emphasized that Bellingham, while talented, still has much to learn and develop in his career and opined that his performances were possibly influenced by the high pressure of the circumstances.
WHAT SOUNESS SAID
Speaking on Three Up Front, William Hill's new podcast, Souness said: "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.
“I think Jude Bellingham fell into that time and time again. He was taking too many touches and that can be a negative result from trying extra hard.”
WHAT SOUNESS SAID
Speaking on Three Up Front, William Hill's new podcast, Souness said: "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.
“I think Jude Bellingham fell into that time and time again. He was taking too many touches and that can be a negative result from trying extra hard.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The former Liverpool player also criticised the senior members of the England squad for not shouldering their responsibilities in protecting and guiding Bellingham, especially during media interactions. Souness argued that the leadership group within the team should have shielded Bellingham from undue criticism and media scrutiny, instead of allowing him to bear the brunt of the team's disappointments.
“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.
DID YOU KNOW?
Joining Souness on the podcast, Troy Deeney offered his perspective on Bellingham's situation, highlighting the unrealistic expectations placed on the young midfielder heading into Euro 2024. Deeney, known for his blunt assessments, acknowledged that Bellingham did not have a poor tournament but faced inflated expectations due to his achievements with Real Madrid.
“I don’t think Bellingham had a poor tournament,” said Deeney. “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.
“My observation is that when he’s playing for Madrid, he’s got the likes of Luka Modrić around and those senior players who are the leaders of the group, there’s a huge element of Bellingham doing that for England as that’s what he’s used to seeing.”
WHAT NEXT?
Bellingham is currently on a post-season break to unwind after a hectic campaign with Real and the English national team. He will not be part of Carlo Ancelotti's pre-season trip to the USA and will instead join his club teammates in August ahead of the UEFA Super Cup on August 14.
- Soham Mukherjee
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