Senior service Returning veteran Henderson plays essential role

Decision to leave midfielder at home was arguably Southgate’s fatal flaw at a disjointed Euro 2024 - it is clear to see why Tuchel did not make the same mistake

- Jacob Steinberg

The cat is well truly out of the bag.

Nobody expected the conversation to be quite so revealing when Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers sat on the Lions’ Den sofa last week. Content controlled by the Football Association was an unlikely place for Bellingham to drop a few truth bombs, but the England midfielder was not minded to hold back when it was time to discuss his experience at Euro 2024.

“It didn’t feel like there was any kind of hierarchy;” the 22-year-old said. “I think 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.”

And there it was. That there were issues within the camp two years ago was not exactly a jaw-dropping revelation but to hear one of the squad’s most important players being so open about it before England attempt to win the World Cup was significant.

“We weren’t playing particularly well, which doesn’t help,” Bellingham said. “Even when we were winning we didn’t get the feeling that we were as happy as we should be. You want to win, but the nature of football is that wins go out of the system very quickly.”

England never held on to the feeling. The vibe was off and the lack of connection was palpable. England were confused and the warning signs were there when they set off for Germany, summed up by Gareth Southgate having to take Harry Kane for a walk around Tottenham’s training ground to explain the thinking behind his squad for the tournament.