Jude Bellingham is already here. He was the last to arrive and will now have to earn back his place. And it won’t be easy, although the coach is clear about where the Englishman must earn his spot. For Mou, he is a 10 and the idea is for him to play behind Mbappé with freedom of movement, either to take advantage of the space Kylian leaves when he drifts out wide or to drive forward across the entire attacking front.
Bellingham is also facing a special season. He knows that only in the first campaign, also playing close to the box under Ancelotti, who saw the Englishman as a false nine to make up for Benzema’s departure, did the Bernabéu surrender to his football. The fact is that he must earn that role as well, because the normal thing is for Güler to start the league in that role, since he has had much more preseason time while Jude has just arrived.
For Jude, Mou’s bet should be good news. He himself has made it clear that above all he wants to play, but where he feels most comfortable is in the role close to the box that he had with England at the World Cup. Although his performances in these years at Madrid cannot be blamed on a tactical issue, it is true that under Xabi he had a more self-sacrificing role out wide and under Arbeloa it did not change much despite the fact that he had more freedom.
‘After one of his World Cup matches with England, Jude addressed the differences between Real Madrid and his national team as the main causes of his performances in the World Cup, with seven goals and one assist, figures far above what he had been producing in the white shirt. “I don’t think it’s a matter of confidence. At Real Madrid I have played differently, a little deeper. With England I am a 10 or even a slightly more advanced 8. I don’t care where I play on the pitch, the position. I always want to play well for my team”.‘
Mou knew it very early on
Mourinho has always been a faithful defender of Bellingham’s game, ever since he began to stand out at Dortmund at just 17 years of age. He reminds him of Lampard, who produced his best at Chelsea under the Portuguese coach. “Although it is very dangerous to compare players, I think Bellingham has something of Frank Lampard. He defends well as a midfielder, but he also has attacking potential. I like him a lot. He is an all-round player, in the classic style. I love everything about Bellingham. I can’t believe his age, only 17 years old. The way he plays, his involvement in the match, shows tremendous maturity,” the coach said.
Bellingham has competition, more than ever since he arrived at Madrid. Bernardo Silva and Güler himself are players who can compete for the same role as the Englishman, so he will have to show the best of his football. For Mou, managing that will not be easy, especially because, as is being seen in preseason, he has given that responsibility to the Turk and he is doing it well. If both of them end up in the starting eleven, the Portuguese coach would have to move one of the two further to the right, where Madrid have placed their trust in Yan Diomande.
