“We Do Miss Jude”: Declan Rice Mendukung Bellingham untuk Kampanye Piala Dunia “

Reporting provided by GOAL.com

Declan Rice has hit back at anybody questioning whether Jude Bellingham should be in the England squad, with the Arsenal star saying that the Three Lions “do miss” his fellow midfielder. 

Thomas Tuchel took to leaving the Real Madrid ‘Galactico’ out of his plans for a friendly date with Wales and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia, leading some to ponder when or if a recall will be earned.

Why Bellingham was left out of England squad

Bellingham has sat out the last two international breaks. He missed the first of those, in September, after undergoing surgery to fix a long-standing shoulder injury. A return to competitive action with Real was made on September 20, with a further four appearances being taken in since then.

The 22-year-old is still working his way back to full match fitness and sharpness, making it easier for Tuchel to overlook him on this occasion. It is considered to be only a matter of time before he is absorbed into the fold once more, with Bellingham far too talented to be left on the outside looking in.

Thomas Tuchel and England are nearing World Cup qualification. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Rice support for Bellingham, Palmer and Foden

Rice admits as much, with the Arsenal star looking forward to seeing Bellingham slot into the England team alongside him. He also expects Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer, who is nursing a knock at present, and Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden, who has started to rediscover a lost spark, to be back on the international stage sooner rather than later.

Rice said after captaining England – with usual skipper Harry Kane another of those to be nursing a minor injury – to a 3-0 victory over Wales at Wembley Stadium: “I think every time you play for England, you want to grab the shirt, you want to grab your chance. But we do miss Jude, for sure. We miss Phil, we miss Cole, we miss loads of players for reasons that the manager’s obviously said.

“We are obviously an unreal team, and they’re in the team as well. Let’s not get away from that. What they’ve done in an England shirt is incredible. We’re looking forward to having them back next camp, hopefully. As a team, we want to keep integrating everyone as much as possible before the World Cup. I think that’s the most important thing, and we’ve done that in the past.”

Tuchel sends selection warning to England stars

Tuchel has kept faith with many of those that impressed during the September break, leading to the likes of Foden and Everton loanee Jack Grealish missing out. He has stated that nobody will be picked on reputation alone, with every place in his plans having to be earned.

The German tactician said: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else. That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] bukan itu yang kukatakan. Anda sedang memainkan permainan yang mengatakan: 'Dia [Tuchel] mengatakan orang lain yang tidak berada dalam tim, Anda tidak dapat membangun tim dengan mereka'. Bukan seperti ini. Kami membangun tim dengan para pemain yang tersedia dan mereka melakukannya dengan sangat baik sehingga kami kembali bersama mereka. Tidak ada yang mengatakan kita tidak bisa melakukan hal yang sama terhadap mereka. Atau bahkan lebih baik, atau mungkin setingkat dengan yang lain.

“Untuk saat ini kami tetap pada pilihan kami dan pernyataan radikalnya adalah kami tidak mengumpulkan pemain-pemain paling bertalenta. Kami mengumpulkan pemain-pemain yang memiliki perekat dan kohesi untuk menjadi tim terbaik. Karena kami harus tampil sebagai tim terbaik. Kami akan tampil sebagai tim yang tidak diunggulkan di Piala Dunia karena kami belum pernah memenanginya selama berpuluh-puluh tahun dan kami akan bermain melawan tim-tim yang sudah berkali-kali memenanginya dalam kurun waktu tersebut. Jadi, kami harus hadir sebagai sebuah tim atau kami tidak akan memiliki peluang.”

Berikutnya untuk Inggris setelah kemenangan mengesankan atas Wales

Morgan Rogers dari Aston Villa termasuk di antara mereka yang menarik perhatian saat Bellingham absen, saat ia memainkan peran No.10 melawan Wales dan membuka rekening gol internasional seniornya. Bukayo Saka, yang tampil pertama kali di Inggris sejak Juni, juga tampil mengesankan menjelang pertemuan dengan Latvia pada hari Selasa yang bisa membuat The Three Lions memastikan tempat mereka di putaran final Piala Dunia musim panas mendatang.

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