da apostebet： The midfielder has struggled to sustain his explosive start to the tournament and Gareth Southgate must manage his workload to prevent him burning out

da winzada777： Jude Bellingham began Euro 2024 announcing his intentions to conquer it. But since his sparkling performance against Serbia, he has been in retreat. Indeed, he seems to have been paying the price of his all-action performance in Gelsenkirchen as his follow-up displays have been a world apart from England's tournament curtain-raiser.

In the 1-1 draw with Denmark, the Real Madrid midfielder was a shadow of the player we saw in the opening game and for most of last season. And against Slovenia he gave another abject display, misplacing simple passes and being unable to influence the game in any meaningful way.

So what has happened to the man who looked destined to be named Player of the Tournament, and how concerned should England be?

Getty ImagesClear drop

There has been a clear drop off from the Serbia game, when Bellingham took 90 touches and completed 67 of the 70 passes he attempted. Against Denmark he took 63 touches and completed 41 of 44 passes.

He was slightly more involved against Slovenia, with 70 touches and 57 passes attempted. But he was far sloppier, misplacing eight balls. And unlike in his previous two outings. he had no impact at all in attack, making no key passes and having no shots.

"He’s had a bad night. Having had a great opening game, he’s struggled since," said Gary Lineker on 'The Rest Is Football' podcast."

AdvertisementGetty Foden switches not helping

As in the first two games, Bellingham looked to interchange positions with Phil Foden throughout. And while this tactic worked in his favour and against the Manchester City star in the Serbia match, the opposite has occurred since.

Foden was the big disappointment in England's opening game, but has looked steadily brighter and was the Three Lions' standout player against Slovenia until Cole Palmer was brought on. And his resurgence seems to have come at Bellingham's expense.

"Foden was playing there, but then he was switching with Bellingham and I don’t think that really helped either of them in a way, because they were neither here nor there," added Lineker.

"I think he [Gareth Southgate]'s spoken to Bellingham and Foden and said, ‘Right, OK, you keep swapping. One goes left and then one goes in the 10’. But that’s a strange thing to do, isn’t it, throughout the whole game? I don’t think that really helped either of them in a way, because they were neither here nor there."

GettyChance to reassert himself

The Slovenia game led to more discussions about whether Bellingham and Foden are compatible with each other, reminiscent of the debate surrounding Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard from two decades ago.

Rather like Sven-Goran Eriksson back then, Southgate has shirked what would have been a huge decision to drop one of the two star players. But calls are growing for him to take either Bellingham or Foden out in the knockout stage so that England can play with a natural left winger and finally get the most out of their array of attacking talent.

And while it seemed unthinkable to drop Bellingham just 10 days ago, now Foden has overtaken him in the running. As it turns out, Foden may not be available for selection for the last-16 game against Slovakia as he has returned home to attend the birth of his child and is due back on the same day as the game.

But if he is available, Southgate could still select Foden along with Bellingham, and given his propensity to stick to his original plan, it would be no huge surprise if he did. But given Foden will have been out of the rhythm of training for a few days, that would be a gamble in itself.

Getty ImagesChasing lost causes

So Bellingham should have the chance to reassert his place in the team without having to accommodate Foden. But there is a concern that Bellingham is fading just as the tournament reaches its most pivotal stage.

Part of what made the midfielder's performance against Serbia so compelling to watch was his body language, his desire to charge into challenges and play all over the pitch. He has struggled to maintain that intensity in the last two games, although he has not stopped trying to cover every blade of grass. And he would be advised to tone that side of his game down if he wants to recover the energy levels he needs to match his earlier form.

"I think he chases lost causes a lot," said Lineker. “Sometimes, you can see him sprinting. I understand why because he’s so determined to help the team but I think sometimes you’ve got to reserve your energy a little bit. But that’s experience. He’s only 20."