Jude Bellingham: How good is Dortmund and England midfielder?

Having racked up over 100 appearances for Borussia Dortmund and earned 17 caps for England, it's staggering to believe he's still just 19, for he plays with a maturity and confidence that belies his tender years.

“Borussia Dortmund is well known for offering young talents the platform to play at the highest level. I think Jude is the oldest 19-year-old I’ve ever seen. He’s great on and off the pitch. We are really happy with him. It’s a win-win situation," insisted Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.

“Not only do we benefit from him, but Dortmund is also the right step for him in his development. Jude will have a big impact, not only tomorrow and for the rest of the season, but also with the England national team in the next few years.

"I’ve been lucky enough to work with Declan Rice at West Ham and I think both of them are going to dominate English football, in terms of the midfield positions, for the next decade."

The complete midfielder

Constantly making waves since joining BVB from Birmingham City back in July of 2020, his all-action, multifaceted game and relentless approach have made him impossible to ignore and a mighty force to be reckoned with.

Essentially bereft of any glaring weakness, the ultra talented central midfielder has been nothing short of exceptional this campaign too, for he's certainly been Dortmund's finest player on his way to already bagging eight goals and two assists in his 17 games so far in all competitions.

Operating at such an elite level and often propelling his team almost single handedly to wins, there's no denying what a key man he is for BVB, who have struggled for consistency again this term. Full of energy, physicality, intensity and intelligence, Bellingham's tremendous output on both sides of the ball has been a pleasure to behold.

Contributing immensely going forward, his mastery with the ball at his feet, positional awareness and movement have ensured he's been a nightmare for defenders to contain.

Possessing sharp ball control and a tidy first touch, this, in combination with his awareness gained through scanning and how he uses his imposing frame to shield the ball, gives him the platform to either wriggle free from opponents in close quarters, outfox foes 1v1, embark on his trademark marauding bursts and just generally gain separation to execute his actions coherently.

So good at escaping opponents with electric changes of pace and direction, smart feints and shimmies, slick hesitation moves, sharp shifts of the ball from one foot to the other and using his strength to ride challenges while maintaining his balance, opponents have had a torrid time against the press resistant star.

The athletic, long striding Englishman's barnstorming runs have been a huge weapon too, for he gains territory quickly and effectively draws opponents, which subsequently makes room for teammates in promising areas and destabilises backlines.

His ball progression wizardry extends to his passing, as he's very accomplished in this compartment as well. Being so comfortable on the ball and remaining calm when harried has seen him engage in smart combination play in tight to either get him out of a jam, unlock backlines or inject momentum into methodical attacks.

Relishing every opportunity to feed runners with measured through balls in behind, plus find attackers with penetrative line breaking passes into the half spaces or between the lines, hit dangerous crossing into the box and switch the play with aplomb, there's been much to admire about his distribution.

Ensuring he assists in terms of build up, ball retention and chance creation, there aren't many situations he doesn't have a pass for.

Far beyond his 19 years

How he knows when to speed up the tempo to breathe some urgency into attacks or recognises when to slow things down has been a testament to his wisdom, discipline and nous on the pitch.

Accompanying the aforementioned with his ever-improving finishing skills, it's been great to see him providing such a sizeable goal threat.

Capable of finding the back of the net with composed 1v1 finishes, scorching efforts from range, coolly placed finishes after opening up his body, neat tap-ins, powerful headers and clinical one touch shots, he's come on in leaps and bounds here.

'He’s more attacking, entering the opposition more'

Although he's keen to hone this aspect of his game to further maximise his menace, he's definitely enjoying an uptick in this regard this campaign, with Terzic keen for him to get into advanced areas and put his keen eye for goal to good use as often as possible.

"This season, Jude has a slightly different role within the team. He’s more attacking, he’s entering the opposition box many times. He already scored eight goals for us this season. This is the next step that we talked about with him before the season," he stated.

“We’re very happy that he is performing this way, but we know his development is not finished yet and we are here to support him and to find his limits.”

Tying everything together with his movement, this elevates his game even higher. Reading the play coherently and awake to vacant spaces, Bellingham does a fine job of supporting build up, wide attacks and helping breathe life into his team's final third exertions.

Efficient at dropping deep alongside or between central defenders, venturing into the less populated half spaces to enjoy more time on the ball to dictate proceedings and helping form overloads to bypass pressing units, his worth is undeniable here.

As the ball moves through the thirds, the way he ventures into dangerous zones between the lines to connect and animate forward forays, plus embarks on calculated runs in behind, down the channels and into the box, amplifies his nuisance.

Often arriving late and undetected as the defence is preoccupied, his astutely timed bursts into the area have been a major asset to propel him into terrific shooting locations.

It also warrants mention how he's constantly buzzing looking to be an option, how he draws opponents to open passing lanes to free up space for colleagues to exploit and shrewdly rotates with his partners to add extra variety.

Defensively assured

Meanwhile, on the defensive end, his impact is just as keenly felt, for the box-to-box midfielder always gets through a mountain of work.

Aware of his surroundings and nearby threats, Bellingham's typically well placed to deal with danger, as he remains on the pulse of where opponents are in his designated area of operation. In addition, the way he constantly surveys his surroundings not just to keep tabs on opponents but also to ensure he and his teammates are ideally spaced has been notable, especially when BVB are defending in a mid or low block.

From here, he identifies when he needs to step out, drop back, shift laterally, track a runner, support a teammate, slot into the defensive line, communicate with a colleague or if he can break up play.

When his side is pressing high, this is where he really shines, for he excels at assertively harrying his targets to force turnovers and low percentage decisions. Responding promptly to triggers like a pass into wide areas or an opponent receiving with their back to goal or in an open body shape, he pounces shrewdly.

Moreover, how he angles and curves his pressing allows him to use his cover shadow to block passing lanes behind him, which stifles adversaries' options even more. So active and attentive, this aspect of his armoury ensures his team can regularly regain possession in advanced areas.

The same goes for his counterpressing, for he reacts swiftly once possession is lost, with him eager to regain the ball again high so his team can get at unset defences who were preparing for a counter attack of their own.

When it comes to applying his interventions, the rangy, determined youngster's done so successfully, as he not only uses his anticipation to read opponents' intentions to time his challenges, but also makes use of his long legs and arms to nip in and unbalance foes.

A fiercely determined ball winning machine who covers so much ground, works tirelessly and is never afraid to put his body on the line, Bellingham certainly proves his worth in this phase.

More well-rounded than Pedri?

By the numbers, upon comparing his statistics to Barcelona's gifted maestro, Pedri, from this season using Wyscout, and it's impressive how Bellingham holds the ascendancy in many key metrics related to successful defensive actions, defensive duels won percentage, aerial duels, tacking, interceptions, successful offensive actions, goals, XG, shooting, dribbling, touches inside the box and progressive passes.

Coveted by all the big clubs and justifiably touted as England's next midfield sensation, it'll be captivating seeing him strut his stuff for the Three Lions at the upcoming World Cup.

Set to be an integral component of Gareth Southgate's plans, the tactically adaptable and flexible phenom, who can crucially play in a variety of roles and systems, is primed to shine on the big stage.

"What he’s doing in his position at his age, we haven’t seen. The best of our generation – (Steven) Gerrard, (Frank) Lampard, (Paul) Scholes, them guys… (Patrick) Vieira, (Roy) Keane, they weren’t doing this," former legend Rio Ferdinand asserted.

“He still has to go on and prove it over a long period of time but they were not doing what he is doing right now. Influencing games at this level, captaining a team at this level, he is the full package. Mentally, this kid’s a beast, no doubts about him.”

A real presence out on the pitch who plays like a seasoned veteran, the level headed teenager won't be getting too far ahead of him himself yet, though, for he knows there's still many vital club games before the showpiece.

Constantly striving to become a better player to continue his meteoric rise and hugely driven to fulfil his enormous potential, the sky really is the limit for what he can achieve in the beautiful game.

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