Tuchel backs Bellingham to become permanent England captain after Prague armband moment

Thomas Tuchel has publicly backed Jude Bellingham to become England’s permanent captain after the midfielder ended the 2-0 Nations League victory over Czechia at the Fortuna Arena in Prague wearing the armband for the second time in four days.

Anthony Gordon gave England the lead shortly after half-time before Harry Kane added a second moments before being substituted, handing the captaincy to Bellingham as he left the field. Bellingham had also finished the previous match — a 3-2 home defeat to Spain — wearing the armband.

“If you are the captain at the end of these matches you can for sure be the permanent captain,” Tuchel said after the win. He also noted that Bellingham had previously captained England against Costa Rica before the World Cup, calling the armband “always a reward and always an honour.”

The result was made more straightforward when Czech midfielder Pavel Sulc was sent off in the first half, opening up the Group A3 encounter for Tuchel’s side. England had arrived in Prague three days after the chaotic defeat to Spain, and Tuchel admitted he and Bellingham had briefly considered starting the Real Madrid star before opting for caution given the quick turnaround.

“We had this small talk today about his role and we both had our hearts or stomachs said ‘let’s go again, let’s start again’,” Tuchel explained. “Then both our heads said ‘maybe 30 minutes is enough for today’ because he hasn’t played this quick turnaround through this season.”

Tuchel also revealed Bellingham picked up a minor knock late in the game, though he expressed hope it would not affect his availability for England’s next fixture against Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday.

The England manager was candid about the nature of the win, framing it as a necessary, if unglamorous, piece of work. “I love sometimes these unglamorous results,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to leave the stadium, win 2-0, have a relaxed evening and go onto the next one. You cannot always be glamorous and super exciting.”

England’s four-match Nations League window continues with the trip to Rijeka, where Tuchel will be looking for a similarly efficient performance as his side build momentum under his management.