Wayne Rooney believes that Jude Bellingham’s comments on a lack of togetherness at previous major tournaments with England underline the fact that Thomas Tuchel had work to do after taking over from Gareth Southgate.
Tuchel has attempted to adopt a club-style mentality in the Three Lions camp and brought in players like veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson and towering Newcastle United centre-back Dan Burn to restore some leadership behind the scenes. Bellingham had referred to a lack of connection at Euro 2024 with Rooney admitting it suggests some squad members were far from happy.
Presenter Gabby Logan said to Rooney: “Jude Bellingham said something interesting today, about perhaps things not being quite so cohesive, not as connected in Euro 2024 as perhaps they could have been. It’s interesting because that seemed to have been Gareth’s USP, to have that culture. How hard is it to keep 26 players satisfied?”
Rooney had been part of the Golden Generation with England back in 2006 when accusations of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea players not seeing eye to eye were rife. Back then there was a recurring suggestion that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard could not operate together in the midfield.
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Rooney said: “It’s very difficult, and I think it just shows, because for the last two tournaments we’ve thought that everything with the England team has been really close, and all the messages were coming out that it’s been a really close group.
“So maybe Thomas Tuchel has dug into that and seen that, and said ‘do you know what, I need a squad who are going to be connected and always together, whether we lose or draw’.
“We’re going to have a team here as one and maybe it hasn’t been the case (previously) but to keep 26 players happy is. almost impossible. I think you’re going to get someone who’s not going to be happy.”
Bellingham had said on England’s Lions Den show: “At the Euros, we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch. I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons.
View 2 ImagesJude Bellingham said there were problems in the England camps at Euro 2024(Image: Rich Storry, Getty Images)
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.
“There has to be that element of relentless 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.
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“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.”
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