19 June 2024 , 21:30
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Jude Bellingham made a “phenomenal” start to the Euros - and can still get even better.
Gareth Southgate delivered even more glowing praise for England’s man-of-the-moment ahead of the next Group showdown with Denmark on Thursday night. Bellingham, 20, was the match-winner against Serbia but his all-round display also marked him down as potentially the biggest star of the whole tournament.
And yet even after winning La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, Southgate says England’s star man is still willing to listen, learn and is “very coachable.” England boss Southgate said: “He definitely got 90 minutes of running in to 45.
"The occasion, the emotion, scoring….he had a phenomenal impact on the game and the great thing is that he is really coachable. We can sit and chat and talk things through so we have got to get the right balance of not losing what he is already bringing and also can we sew one or two things – as with all the players – that we can refine a bit and get even more.
"That’s always the challenge. Top players want to be challenged and need to be challenged as well. I don’t think you back away from that. Any top individual in any industry wants to be the best he can possibly be."
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Bellingham was front and centre of England’s performance against Serbia and if they can repeat their victory against Denmark then Southgate’s men will be on course to win their group. But while England got the job done against Serbia, they will face a tougher test against a Denmark team still smarting from their semi-final defeat to England in the last Euros.
With a better quality of opposition also comes a bigger test for the midfield and one ex-player who was positive about England’s performance and victory was Stuart Pearce as 'Psycho' picked out Trent Alexander-Arnold for praise and his passing range.
Pearce even compared Alexander-Arnold to Glenn Hoddle and Southgate also focused on the positive aspects of the Liverpool star’s game and believes he will only get better against Denmark. Southgate said: "He's less likely to be a player who dictates tempo than Glenn Hoddle. That's a different type and probably midfield players who have been in there forever and really understand the flow of a game.
Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold's (R) performances vs Serbia drew mixed reviews (The FA via Getty Images)“What I do see is that range of passing and that ability to open up a defence that might be blocking spaces, defending low. He's somebody that's going to cause opposition players to be aware that we can play balls in behind them at any point with fantastic accuracy.
“His understanding of the game is good. All the defensive responsibilities we've asked of him, it's not necessarily been where he's played for many years but he's been really diligent and open to wanting to take that on board.
“We know it's a work in progress. We know it's something that's going to get a lot of attention as it's not been the norm. But we feel it's something that can add to what we've got.”
Southgate also stressed that England will be facing a much tougher test and warned that they will need to deliver a more complete performance to win. The England boss added: “Denmark are a good side. Not only in the Euros but the two games in the Nations League were very tough matches for us. We are very aware of that.
“We know there were elements of our game we were really pleased with the other day and elements that have to be better. To play against a team of Denmark’s quality all those aspects have to come together to get the win.”