The Al Bayt Stadium will set the stage for a scintillating quarter-final clash between two tournament favourites, England and France. Word has gone around about the top defences of both sides, and of course who is not familiar with the influence of attackers Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe? However, it is likely that the battle in the middle third will influence the final outcome of the game. Two strong sets of midfielders will collide in midfield, and the victor will control the tempo of the game.
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Two names stand out on both sides of the halfway line in the midfield. Two youngsters who have impressed audiences across the globe - England’s Jude Bellingham and France’s Aurelien Tchouameni. The midfield battle between these two youngsters will be extremely crucial. The responsibility of bridging the gap between defence and attack rests on the young and responsible shoulders of these two youngsters.
As N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba missed the World Cup this time around, Real Madrid prodigy Tchouameni was called up to play for his nation at the grandest stage. Skepticism engulfed the footballing universe when the 22-year-old walked onto the pitch for France’s opening game of the tournament. However, the doubts were laid to rest after the young midfielder proved to be influential in front of France’s defence, snuffing out attacks from opponents.
So far, Tchouameni has been dictating France’s play from deep, controlling the tempo of the game and also allowing his midfield partner Adrien Rabiot to roam freely into more advanced positions. In addition to that, the 22-year-old has also provided relief to the defensive duo of Varane and Upamecano with his ability to drop deep and be the extra man in the defensive third to ward off danger.
Bellingham, meanwhile, has been one of the best players for England in this tournament. His pace, energy, and intelligence levels have been over par. The 19-year-old scored England’s first goal at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the game against Iran. The Three Lions eventually won 6-2. In the Round of 16, Bellingham assisted the opening goal of the game against Senegal for his midfield partner Jordan Henderson.
With a goal and an assist already under his belt, it is safe to say that Bellingham has cemented his place in England’s midfield. The teenager will surely start against Les Bleus and come face-to-face with Tchouameni, with the two coming together on several occasions. It will be an interesting battle to watch when Bellingham motors forward and the young French midfielder attempts to thwart the attacking run.
No player in the French squad has covered the amount of distance Tchouameni has. The 22-year-old has touched 10.2 km per 90 minutes. On the other hand, Bellingham is not far behind, having run the third-highest distance in the English squad with Mason Mount at 9.9 km per 90 mins. He is only behind Declan Rice (10.7 km) and Jordan Henderson (10.2 km).
Bellingham has the highest tally, among both squads, of offers to receive the ball at 108 times per 90 minutes. He is known to make himself available to teammates and has become the driving force of the English midfield. In comparison, Tchouameni has shown for the ball far fewer times than his counterpart, at just 73 times per 90 minutes.
The pacey English youngster is also quicker among the two players. Bellingham is placed third across both squads for the number of sprints per match (61), behind teammates Jack Grealish (66) and Phil Foden (63). Tchouameni has only averaged 37 sprints per match. Tchouameni is also the second from last player across both teams in the distance covered by ‘high speed sprinting’ at 69 meters per game. England defender Harry Maguire is the only player who has covered a lesser distance by sprinting among the two squads.
Meanwhile, Bellingham has run almost four times as far at 250 meters per game than Tchouameni at high speed. Tchouameni beats Bellingham when it comes to passing. He is France’s top passer, with 76 complete passes per 90 minutes. John Stones is the only player among both squads to have completed more passes (83) than Tchouameni. Bellingham’s number is far behind Tchouameni at just 49 passes per 90 minutes.
When it comes to challenges won, both midfielders measure up almost the same, with the French youngster having the edge over his English counterpart with 64% per 90 minutes vs 57% per 90 minutes. The two young midfielders have never faced off against each other while playing for their respective national teams. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in their first-ever head-to-head battle in the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
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