Thomas Tuchel finds himself dealing with a fresh Jude Bellingham dilemma — although this time, it is of a more positive nature. After his controversial comments last summer, when he said his mother found the Real Madrid star's behaviour ‘repulsive’, and after leaving Bellingham out of the squad in October, appearing to prefer Morgan Rogers instead, Tuchel may now be grappling with a much better problem to have.

During the World Cup 2026, Tuchel has repeatedly been asked whether England are overly reliant on Harry Kane. The evidence so far suggests that the team depends heavily not just on their captain, but also on Bellingham. Between them, they have scored five of England’s six goals. Bellingham has netted the two most crucial ones — the strike that restored the lead against Croatia and the volley that broke Panama’s resistance. To top it off, he set up Kane’s third goal of the tournament just five minutes later.

Tuchel understands the enormous value Bellingham brings to the side. His challenge now appears to be balancing that influence. “I’m not sure if it’s a reaction,” the England manager said. “But it’s exactly what we want from him. He has been positive from the first day in camp. He buys completely into what we demand from him as a team player and adds his individual quality to decide football games.

“That’s what you see in World Cups — big players stepping up for their teams. He’s one of them, a key player for us. He fully commits to the team’s principles. So far, so good. He just has to keep going.”

Despite Bellingham’s brilliance, concerns remain. England’s attack has often looked short on creativity, relying too much on moments of inspiration from Bellingham to turn matches. Tuchel knows the team must find ways to score through collective play rather than depending on individual sparks.

“Yes, but we had six attacking players today to break down a back five and ask more questions,” Tuchel explained. “Sometimes it’s just a run from someone else that opens space for Jude to shine. They work in units. In the first half, for instance, when Jude made that run into the box, Nico O’Reilly’s movement pulled a defender away to give him the opening.”

“We must work in patterns and in units to create more attacking threats and repetition. If everyone plays freestyle, no one understands what the other is doing. So we focus on coordinated patterns, and I feel the understanding is improving with every game. Jude is very much part of that process.”

“It’s not just about patterns but the quality within them. We want to find players consistently in those spaces, and then they must take advantage — with quality. That’s what happens at this level.”

“This is what we expect. In key moments, players must deliver. I’m convinced Nico O’Reilly almost did so against Ghana. Harry did. Jude did. And I’m sure Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka will do it when their moment comes — and we’ll need that.”

Some of Tuchel’s wingers have already contributed in different ways. Marcus Rashford scored the fourth goal against Croatia, while Saka has provided two assists — one for Rashford and another from the corner that Bellingham converted in New York on Saturday.

Saka has been gradually integrated into the tournament setup. Rashford started from the bench but impressed when given a start against Panama. However, despite Tuchel’s tactical emphasis on wide play, England have yet to see enough goal threat from their wingers.

Anthony Gordon’s form has dipped since forcing his way into the starting eleven following an impressive friendly against Costa Rica. He has since lost his spot to Rashford. Noni Madueke, meanwhile, has struggled to deliver consistently — a recurring issue in his performances.

Tuchel’s system demands more from his wide men, and that remains a concern. Rogers, once a central figure in his tactical setup, has been overshadowed by Bellingham and is searching for a role. It will be interesting to see if Tuchel, like Unai Emery at Aston Villa, opts to deploy him as a nominal winger.

England also felt the absence of Declan Rice’s attacking impetus against Panama. Yet, the player who seemed to fill that void was none other than Bellingham. Tuchel explained that the Real Madrid midfielder operated as a central midfielder when out of possession and as a No. 10 when England attacked. For much of the past year, Bellingham has not quite fitted Tuchel’s idea of a perfect No. 10 — but now, he seems to be getting much closer to that ideal.