England World Cup ratings: Jude Bellingham silences doubters with elite performances but Arsenal and Chelsea stars flop

ENGLAND notched their best finish at a World Cup since 1966 – but some members of the squad still failed to live up to expectations. The Three Lions bagged the bronze medal after a thrilling 6-4 victory over France last night. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were among England’s best performers Credit: Getty Declan Rice struggled with injury and illness Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And Thomas Tuchel’s side have already jetted back into England having boarded a flight straight after their win in Miami. A string of big names shone as they chased glory at the summer extravaganza. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! That includes Jude Bellingham, who bagged a record-breaking SEVEN goals at the tournament. SunSport’s Tom Barclay has rated each member of the squad who were handed game time at the World Cup… JORDAN PICKFORD: 6/10 Mixed fortunes for what is now the England player with the most World Cup appearances ever. Dubbed ‘Jordan Banks’ for his amazing save and performance in the Azteca, he looked jumpy and flappy in other games – while he perhaps could have done better with Enzo Fernandez’s killer leveller against Argentina. Bellingham seemed to think so. DEAN HENDERSON: 6 Finally got a chance to show what he could do in that bonkers third-place play-off. He pulled off some decent stops in that madcap match but still conceded four. REECE JAMES: 4 Tuchel seemed to be the only person in the world who did not foresee James picking up a hamstring injury at this tournament. Everyone else’s fears came to pass as the Chelsea captain succumbed to his crock curse yet again – and even when he did play, did not play anywhere near as well as we know he can do. EZRI KONSA: 7 Appeared to be the one defender Tuchel was relying on until he benched him for the biggest match against Argentina. But overall Konsa acquitted himself pretty well, especially in that Alamo, ten-man effort against Mexico in the Azteca. Netted in the 6-4 bronze clash. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK NICO O’REILLY: 6 In and out at left-back which was perhaps not that surprising given he is not really a left-back. Or at least he was not for most of last season under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. There were moments of promise in the 21-year-old’s first tournament and hopefully much more to come from one of our most talented youngsters. JOHN STONES: 7 Shaky start against Croatia saw him dropped, but then the 32-year-old really came to the fore in the knockout stages. Superb in shackling old mucker Erling Haaland in the quarter-final against Norway, Stones became the first-ever free agent to play for England. MARC GUEHI: 7 Had to win over doubting Tuchel after being benched for the first game, but was an ever-present after that. Put his body on the line when required and is a reliable performer – but there are question marks if he will ever reach the levels of a John Terry, Rio Ferdinand or Stones. DAN BURN: 7 Big Dan Burn justified his slightly controversial call-up with a couple of eye-catching cameos off the bench. His crunching header which left Norway’s Leo Ostigard in a heap will live long in the memory, but the 34-year-old also embodies Tuchel’s back-five park-the-bus approach. TREVOH CHALOBAH: 5 Drafted in at the last minute following Tino Livramento’s injury which ruled the Newcastle man out for the tournament. Only action he saw was the final few minutes of the 6-4 win against France, but there was still time for him to be put on his backside by Ousmane Dembele as the PSG man netted. DJED SPENCE: 8 The breakout star for Tuchel’s England that no one predicted. Spence struggled to get a game for Roberto De Zerbi towards the end of Spurs’ Premier League season – where they finished 17th – but he was excellent in North America, full of running, tackles and passion. Djed Spence was England’s breakout star Credit: Getty JARELL QUANSAH: 4 Most memorable contribution was being sent off against Mexico for his high challenge on Jesus Gallardo. That saw him cop a two-match ban – which felt ridiculous given the Folarin Balogun farce – but when he did come back against France, he was given a torrid time by Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola. Penny for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s thoughts. DECLAN RICE: 5 He was excellent against France but, if we’re honest, the pressure was off then. For the rest of the tournament, Rice was not his usual inspirational and dynamic self. Fitness was clearly the issue due to a neural problem in his hamstring going back to December – plus he was in bed with a sickness bug for three days before Norway. ELLIOT ANDERSON: 7 The discovery of the Tuchel era was good throughout the tournament. Manchester City’s new £116million signing only made his England debut ten months ago but he looked like he had been playing for his country for years, showing energy, demanding the ball and having no fear of going in hard on Lionel Messi. JUDE BELLINGHAM: 9 A breathtaking tournament for the Real Madrid superstar, making those who questioned how much Tuchel needed him look silly. Seven goals is the most by an England player at a World Cup and the only reason he does not get ten is because of how Argentina kept him quiet. JORDAN HENDERSON: 5 This score may be a bit harsh but sadly Henderson’s biggest ‘on-field’ moment came when he broke his arm falling over advertising hoardings at the Azteca, ruling himself out of action from then on. But you only have to hear Bellingham speak to see what an influence the 36-year-old is on the dressing room. MORGAN ROGERS: 5 Chelsea are splashing £117m on him and he is a very good player but his tournament was meh at best. Biggest contribution – and it was a vital one – was his excellent cross for Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina. But not a lot to write home about apart from that. Morgan Rogers’ best moment was providing the cross for Anthony Gordon’s goal against Argentina Credit: Reuters EBERECHI EZE: 6 Eze sparkled against France, teeing up Bukayo Saka’s second and had one mazy run that really caught the eye. But again, that game had more of a feel of an exhibition, despite the bronze medal being up for grabs. When the real pressure was on, Eze’s few cameos off the bench were pretty forgettable, as Cole Palmer and Phil Foden may well have noted. BUKAYO SAKA: 5 This score may seem extraordinary given Saka scored a hat-trick against France. But the question we all had after that treble was ‘Where was this earlier in the tournament, when it really mattered?’ Surely injury played a part but Saka insisted he was fit and grumbled about not being picked against Argentina. The fact is if he was playing anywhere near the level of the play-off game earlier in the competition, he would have been a nailed-on starter for the semi. Sadly, he wasn’t. HARRY KANE: 8 Another fine campaign from England’s record-scorer, who took his tally up to 84 with six more World Cup goals. Without doubt his best moment was digging us out the mire against DR Congo with a late brace, but he had very little impact against Argentina, leading golf buddy Donald Trump to question why the striker had been used as “a defensive player”. MARCUS RASHFORD: 6 Took his goal brilliantly off the bench in the opener against Croatia but then blew hot and cold for the rest of the tournament. Lost the left-wing battle to Gordon – the man who took his place at Barcelona – but did well in that blistering first 45 minutes against France. ANTHONY GORDON: 8 If this was a ranking for the group stages, Barca new-boy Gordon would probably get a four. But he was so effective in the knockouts with three assists, a penalty won against Mexico and the goal in the loss to Argentina, that those contributions massively outweigh the early fixtures. Why oh why did Tuchel take him off in that semi-final? OLLIE WATKINS: 5 Opportunities severely limited for the Aston Villa man, as they always will be as Kane’s back-up. Struggled when coming on against France in the play-off, though was playing out of position out wide, in fairness. NONI MADUEKE: 3 Given far more opportunities than perhaps many expected because of Saka’s struggles with form and fitness. But he failed to take them, showing poor end product and predictability. Being hooked at half-time against Norway was the nadir and he did not play another minute after. IVAN TONEY: 5 Laboured against France in that play-off game, looking off the pace after six weeks without competitive action – barring the final few minutes against Argentina as a Hail-Mary substitute which did not work. THOMAS TUCHEL: 4 On the one hand, Tuchel masterminded our best World Cup since they won it in 1966. But on the other – and what every fan will remember most – he presided over England snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the semi-final against Argentina thanks in large part to his ultra-defensive strategy. Tuchel was brought in at great expense to get us over the line and he failed to do so. Comment now