“It’s difficult” - Micah Richards highlights issue involving Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer that Thomas Tuchel must solve as England boss

Football pundit Micah Richards has warned incoming England boss Thomas Tuchel about an issue regarding Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer. The German tactician has been appointed the permanent head coach of the Three Lions, following Gareth Southgate's resignation after Euro 2024.

The national team has been led by interim head coach Lee Carsley, who publicly shared his uncertainty about taking on the role permanently. This led the England FA to Tuchel, who will take over on New Year's Day 2025.

The German manager has yet to begin life at the helm of the Three Lions, but former England defender Micah Richards has already given him a heads-up. He has warned Tuchel about personnel issues, especially regarding playing Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham, who are both midfielders. The pundit said on The Rest is Football podcast (via TBR Football):

“He has some real big issues to sort in terms of personnel. If you look at what Cole Palmer is doing week in, week out for Chelsea, he has got to play. Jude Bellingham has to play."

He continued, raising the same issue in other positions on the pitch:

"Harry Kane we would all say he probably needs to play. But then you have Watkins itching, Saka. It’s difficult."

Richards added:

"What we didn’t give Southgate enough credit for at the time was having all these wonderful players and trying to fit them in because whoever he played someone is going to moan, why are they not playing?

"It’s about getting that balance right and he has to go with the best balance for the team rather than just trying to get individual brilliance in.”

Cole Palmer has been a force of nature since his move to Chelsea in 2023, scoring 32 goals and providing 20 assists in just 58 appearances. The same can be said for Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, where he has scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists in 55 appearances.

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Pat Nevin compares Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer

Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has compared Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer, following their respective starts to the season. While Bellingham has one goal and two assists in eight LaLiga games for Madrid, Palmer has seven goals and five assists in 11 Premier League games for Chelsea.

Speaking about the duo, Nevin told BetVictor in October (via GOAL):

“To some degree it’s a shame for England that they’ve got Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish all in a similar position. However, I think Palmer has vision and skill levels that just set him apart from those players...

"If you wanted to buy an English player, I don’t know that there’s anyone you’d pick ahead of Cole Palmer.”

Both players will hope they can impress and give Thomas Tuchel a worthy headache about which players to pick for their upcoming international games.