The under-utilization of Jude Bellingham and why it has to change.

Last season, when Jude Bellingham took the world by storm with his phenomenal performances for Real Madrid, which included an absurd scoring ability for a midfielder, he had a very clearly defined role. The club, adapting from the loss of Karim Benzema, shifted formations from a classic 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 diamond, with Jude Bellingham at the tip of the midfield diamond. Behind two pseudo-strikers in Vinícius and Rodrygo, Bellingham’s role to connect the attack, bomb into the box for crosses out wide, make runs in behind the defensive line, while also being the main central playmaker, creating through a combination of link-up play and quick through balls. On the defensive side of things, Bellingham was the trigger man in the press, with the team following him in pressing high and aggressively. A fantastic defender with great physical attributes, Bellingham was a voracious tackler who looked to disrupt teams playing out from the back. This role was perfect for the Englishman, making best use of his on and off ball qualities, and ended up producing a Ballon d’Or contending season from him.

Things have changed this season, mainly due to the fact that Real Madrid do not employ pseudo-strikers in a front two anymore, but one of the greatest attackers of all time; Kylian Mbappé, in a classic front three. Flanked by Viní Jr. and Rodrygo, Real Madrid’s attack is far more orthodox, and the midfield is as well, with Bellingham and Valverde playing as 8’s with Tchouaméni or Camavinga behind them. This should not be an issue, as Bellingham had always played a deeper role as an 8 or even part of a pivot before his time at Madrid. He has even stated previously that the reason he wore the number 22 was because he was a mixture of a 6, 8, and a 10. In theory, the new role should’ve been just as perfect as the old one was.

However, this has not been the case, and it is largely a schematic issue rather than the fault of Bellingham himself. A fantastic dribbler, who ranks in the 97^th percentile for midfielders for successful take-on, and 70^th percentile for take-on success rate, Bellingham should, in theory, be the player who kick-starts most attacks. Ranking in the 78^th percentile for shot creating actions, 89^th for through balls, 86^th for key passes and 98^th for assists, Bellingham has all the hallmarks for an elite creator. Playing as a hybrid 8/10 would be the perfect role for him. Given his skillset, Bellingham should be at the heart of everything Real Madrid do. Receiving passes in central zones, using his elite dribbling ability to beat the press and progress play, and using his quick, incisive passing to create, is what Bellingham excels at. Furthermore, once play is directed out wide, Bellingham is as good as it gets for crossing targets, and as a player who constantly attacks second balls. Yet, this is not how he is being utilized. In fact, there isn’t any clear way in which he is being used. At times he is being used in the same way he was last season, as a marauding 10, at times he has played almost as if he was part of a pivot, focusing mainly on defensive duties, while at times he’s been used akin to a box-to-box midfielder. Without a clear outline for his role in the team, Bellingham this season has been severely under-utilized, and his successes have come down largely to his intelligence and ability to interpret and overcome difficult in-game situations on his own.

Off the ball, while theoretically he has a clear role, that role too has been plagued by larger systematic issues. More often than not, Real Madrid revert to a flat 4-4-2 while defending, with Bellingham and Mbappé pressing centrally and Vinícius and Rodrygo taking positions out wide. However, this has been extremely inconsistent, and the teams press is erratic and dysfunctional most of the time. When Bellingham does lead the press, the team’s coordination leaves much to be desired. Pressing isolated almost every time, with huge gaps in between the lines, Bellingham often has to press multiple players at once as Real Madrid have proven to be extremely poor at closing down opposition players as a unit. One or two simple passes and the first line is bypassed. This has also been down to the lack of effort from other attackers, a fact which has lead to Bellingham expressing his disapproval countless times on the pitch. The lack of coordination between the players and the attack, midfield and defense mean that all of Bellingham’s efforts go to waste. In a more structured press, Bellingham would be one of the best tools a coach could have, being a super intelligent, hardworking and athletic player that would be perfect to lead a press. At Real Madrid, these traits have largely gone to waste.

Furthermore, due to the disarray the system creates, Bellingham often has to occupy defensive roles that he should be nowhere near. Playing in the pivot at times, and even as a right or left midfielder helping Real Madrid’s fullbacks, far too much has been asked of Bellingham, and the effects are beginning to show. Clearly on the verge of burning out, fatigue has been a huge issue for Jude, who is overworked inefficiently.

The answer to these issues must come from the coach. To best utilize one of the, if not the best, midfielder in the world, the tactical side of things has to improve. The front three of Vinícius, Mbappé and Rodrygo is perfect for Jude to play off of. All three are super-fast players who love to run in behind, and are all incredible creators from out-wide. This creates the perfect dynamic for Jude both as a scorer and a creator, and the team has to give Bellingham the license to play as a 10 in attack, being the main focal point of everything good the attack does. He can and should be the player setting the three off on their runs, while also being the guy who crashes the box as a target for crosses or to clean up second balls. On the defensive side of things, the press has to be far, far more structured, utilizing Bellingham as the lead presser while organizing his teammates in a way to both lift the burden on his shoulders, and make use of his aggressive pressing.

The biggest issue with the defensive side of things is that Real Madrid play with two set-ups at once. The front four press like a high-pressing side while the backline defends like a team that sits back. This creates huge gaps in between the two lines, gaps which are exploited every game. With the personnel at hand, Real Madrid have to make the backline more aggressive, and more in sync with the movements of the attackers. The effort on the part of the attackers has also increased dramatically in the last few weeks, and with a more concerted effort, the team could and should be a very well-oiled pressing machine. Even without a good press, Real Madrid have scored the most goals from high pressing situations in LaLiga, and imagine how good the team could be with an actually good press.

Jude Bellingham is a phenomenal player, and even in a system that does not help him showcase his best qualities, he has had an excellent season so far. While the teams season has been inconsistent and even disappointing at times, the solutions are obvious, and they begin with creating a system that maximizes Bellingham, because when Bellingham can play at his best, then so can the team.