Jude Bellingham on England's problems at Euro 2024

Jude Bellingham has admitted that England made some off-field mistakes during Euro 2024 which affected their final result. England reached the final of the tournament but lost to Spain in Germany, which was Gareth Southgate's last game as national team coach. This was the second consecutive European Championship final in which England finished as runners-up, however the team struggled with form and flow throughout the tournament.  Bellingham had previously suggested he felt blamed for the defeat, but has now admitted the atmosphere off the pitch was not what it should have been. "At the Euros we made a few mistakes off the pitch. I don't feel the group was as cohesive as it could have been for a number of reasons. Expectations were part of it - we did well in 2018 and well in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup, and when it came to this tournament we were seen as one of the two or three teams that should have won it. We didn't play particularly well, so even when we won we didn't feel as happy as we should have. There has to be that element of tenacity." and the desire to win, but it's the nature of football that wins come out of the system quickly and we should hang on to that moment longer. I think this time having these experiences... and knowing, for example, that the person who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final is not always the one you would bet on, so you always have to be ready, everyone has to feel loved and be an important part of the team." England begin their campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17, and will also face Ghana and Panama in Group L. Bellingham is fighting for a place in the starting lineup with Morgan Rogers as coach Thomas Tuchel is likely to select only one of them in his starting XI. However, Rogers believes that the team has a spirit of healthy competition. “We are really tight-knit and everyone fits into the group easily and seamlessly,” Rogers explained. "No matter where you're from, where you play, how old you are - it doesn't matter in this group. It's a joy to be here."