How can Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham fit together for England? Three Lions legend says 'great players need to play' as World Cup year begins
Published 11/08/2025 at 09:13 GMT+1
It's the puzzle that has proven thorny to solve for England's recent trio of men's senior team managers: Sir Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley and Thomas Tuchel. And that is, how to create a functioning first XI that contains all its leading lights, especially when they all play in similar positions. Joe Cole played 56 times for England in midfield, and has a possible solution.
‘If Messi performs like this the world stops’ – Cole in awe of ‘genius’ Palmer
Video credit: TNT Sports
It's a World Cup year, and England are once again set to face one of their age-old conundrums.
Cram all the best players in the starting XI, or risk opprobrium by leaving some of them out in a bid to create greater team cohesion?
It's a problem that Sir Gareth Southgate - in charge for four tournaments in a row until his departure after Euro 2024 - struggled to solve in the latter days of his England tenure, as attacking midfielders Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden all made growing cases for inclusion.
Thomas Tuchel is now in the Three Lions hotseat, but is also yet to formulate a resounding solution.
With England just weeks away from restarting their World Cup qualifying campaign with a home tie against Andorra on September 6, TNT Sports caught up with an ex-England midfielder who was often at the heart of a similar discussion, Joe Cole.
"Tactically it's a blessing and a challenge because you've got so many players in that [attacking midfield] position," Cole said of the decision facing Tuchel.
"You could play with two 10s, you could play with Bellingham and Palmer. Then Foden can come into that mix as well. So many players, [Eberechi] Eze, so many players.
"My team for England would have Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham in the midfield as a dual 10, and I'd work around that. But great players need to play."
Numbers show tricky mix
The data does not paint a particularly healthy picture when looking at how these three leading lights gel in an England shirt.
| Combination | Mins together (England) | Joint goal contributions |
| Palmer + Bellingham | 354 | 1 |
| Palmer + Foden | 282 | 0 |
| Bellingham + Foden | 1,639 | 0 |
Data: Transfermarkt
Indeed, Bellingham and Foden - across the 1,639 minutes they have both been on the pitch for England - have not managed a single goal between them.
The only goal seen during any of the three combinations was Palmer's Euro 2024 final goal against Spain.
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Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham of England celebrate equalizing goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Image credit: Getty Images
'It's a fair question'
Tuchel does seem fully aware of how thorny this topic has been, even before he arrived at St. George's Park.
Responding to a question back in June about why England tend not to see the best version of their star players, Tuchel replied: "That’s the question that needs to be answered. It is a fair question.
"I think we need to get the balance right. We need to get the organisation right, and we need to get the players right together - that they just feel it naturally and that it’s easy, that it comes easy for them to connect.
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"We’re figuring it out, we’re taking everything into account. It’s on us, it’s on me to find the right balance, to find the right connections - like who loves to play with each other, who has a genuine connection, who takes care of each other.
"And then, it is on us also to find the right balance between structure and freedom. We will do this on the job, we will do it in the camps, we will do it in World Cup qualifiers, and we will not stop doing it until we find the right mixture."
England schedule in 2025
| Opposition | Date | Competition | Venue |
| Andorra (h) | Sep 6 | WC qualifier | Villa Park |
| Serbia (a) | Sep 9 | WC qualifier | Stadion Rajko Mitic |
| Wales (h) | Oct 9 | Friendly | Wembley Stadium |
| Latvia (a) | Oct 14 | WC qualifier | Daugavas Stadiona |
| Serbia (h) | Nov 13 | WC qualifier | Wembley Stadium |
| Albania (a) | Nov 16 | WC qualifier | Arena Kombetare |
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