Jude Bellingham is Gareth Southgate’s cheat code, but other issues choke England

An impeccable record remains, with some blemishes. Gareth Southgatein England again won the opening game of the tournament, on the fourth of four occasions. This Occasionally Awkward 1-0 Win Serbia was certainly not at the level of Germany’s 5-1 thrashing of Scotland, and will raise new questions about what England needs to do to reach that level. Jude Bellingham, naturally the winner of the match, is one of the few parts of this team where there is no doubt. His headed goal was the perfect illustration of that. Beyond that, though, Southgate has a bit to think about.

He knew this himself, of course. England coach notified the day before the game that not every team would start like Germany, and made a point of stating the number of problems he inherited when joining Euro 2024.

Any tournament is a voyage of discovery in that sense, but Southgate still has a lot to discover.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s experiment didn’t work and he was inevitably sidelined. Harry Kane barely touched the ball, apart from the header of an admittedly brilliant striker. Phil Foden was a shadow of the player we saw in the Premier League. Much of this is obviously a response to other issues, particularly defense.

There, Marc Guehi was one of England’s brightest bright spots. He performed a difficult task perfectly, whilst dispelling some doubts about him with a fine aerial display. Serbia’s physical forwards didn’t get much out of him.

This should provide further security as Southgate looks to build on this. This should not be forgotten either, of course.

England won. They are already more than halfway to qualifying in this 24-team system. While this should be taken for granted, it still helps a team’s progress. It also allows a little more space to find out more about this team.

Bellingham also appears to offer solutions to a number of issues.

What draws attention to the Real Madrid midfielder is the total absence of hesitations or doubts. It’s all guaranteed all the time. He knew exactly what he wanted from the 12-minute attack and he got it. As England worked on the edges, Saka advanced in that quick manner to deliver a cross, and there was Bellingham to head it home. It’s no news to say this had shades of Bryan Robson, but in fact it was all Bellingham.

The same happened with England’s performance and certainly with their attack. There was a long period when Bellingham was everywhere, although this was not entirely due to his own impetuosity. Part of this was due to gaps in staffing. Good thing they had a player like that to fill them.

There were many moments when it looked like he was doing the work of Alexander-Arnold as a player to make perceptive passes and also of Kane as a goalscorer. The latter offered another concern: he only had two touches in the first half and was constantly fleeting.

All of this became more pronounced as the initial energy began to stabilize. Good thing England scored Bellingham’s early goal. Serbia started to open more holes and force some openings.

There were at least three players who were not in the right position. Foden was perhaps another. There was no one left as Bellingham was constantly coming in and then going everywhere. The only other real threat was Saka. Alexander-Arnold had a moment of excellence as he moved the ball to a Kyle Walker burst, but there was a feeling the midfield was too loose.

While the instinctive response would be to just criticize Southgate here, some of these changes were forced on him through absences as he tried to form a new team. A lot is conditioned by the absence of a left-handed defender at the moment.

What was perhaps less understandable here was why he persisted as the danger of Serbia scoring grew. The obviousness of the issue was illustrated when England immediately improved with some late changes.

Alexander-Arnold was transported to Connor Gallagher. Despite Southgate insisting the Liverpool right-back in midfield was “special”, it remains to be seen whether he will return to that. And while Gallagher has offered an energy that has been lacking, there is growing evidence that Bellingham may be the player to use at No.8.

Kane finally showed some of his threat in the ninth when Jarrod Bowen was introduced. The West Ham United striker produced a sublime cross with his first touch, for Kane to head it off Predrag Rajkovic’s fingertips and hit the post.

Despite some nervous moments, England were never properly troubled. Southgate had another early victory, although also some firsts. He also has a new prominent figure. The build-up to this game generated some commotion about how Bellingham became part of the team’s “leadership group.” This is a status he assumes naturally, just as he dominates the field.

This was his goal, his game, and it could still be his tournament. Bellingham appears to be in the mood for it. The question is about the composition of the team around you.