Boss: No ceiling to just how good Jude can be!
PEP Clotet believes Jude Bellingham has hit new levels with his performances for Birmingham City and says there are no limits to how good the midfielder can be.
The newly-appointed permanent head coach praised the teenager after his excellent display in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Millwall at St Andrew’s.
Bellingham assumed leadership responsibility at both ends of the pitch, lighting up the match with one audacious turn on the bye-line in the first half and coming close to winning it in the second.
That display came just two days after he played like a man with a point to prove at Sheffield Wednesday.
And Clotet sees those two matches as proof of yet more progress – and the 16-year-old’s unlimited potential.
“You never know how the future is going to be, of course, but I am seeing a different Jude than before,” he said.
“Against Sheffield Wednesday he made a massive step forward, then to recover against Millwall I felt he managed the game very well physically.
“The fact we had to replace a centre-back didn’t allow us much room to use our bench but I think Jude did the job with intensity, in defence and helping Ivan (Sunjic) as well – and he gets to dangerous areas more and more and more.
“I think he is making a lot of steps in the right direction and I hope he keeps developing because, at the minute, I don’t see his ceiling.”
Clotet also pointed to Bellingham’s growing tactical awareness.
“His ability to impact the game, his ability to become one of the important players in midfield, we only play with two, most teams play with three,’’ he said. “So those two midfielders need to do a lot of things right because they are normally outnumbered.
“His ability not only to focus on simple tasks, to defend and help the team now he is taking steps to go forward, involve himself in attack.
“I think in the first half he understood perfectly that when Dan (Crowley) or Fran (Villalba) came in a little bit deep to get the ball he needs to go in behind the midfield line to receive. That shows tactically he is growing a lot.”
Clotet has been confirmed as permanent head coach, removing the caretaker tag under which he has been operating since succeeding Garry Monk.
The Spaniard becomes the 29th post-war occupant of the St Andrew’s hotseat following a promising start to the brief given to him in the summer.
Clotet, who was formerly assistant to Monk at Blues, Leeds and Swansea, has made good headway in overhauling the team’s playing style and introducing young players into the side.
The announcement also comes a week after Clotet came under attack from Monk, an incident which he handled with dignity.
A club statement said: “He has proven to the board he is the man to help lead Blues and to drive us to achieve ours and our supporters’ ambitions.
“Pep has shown his coaching expertise, man-management and leadership skills, allied to exemplary professional conduct, that can help take the club forward.
“We have a clear vision of what our footballing philosophy needs to be and Pep and his staff have begun to implement that in a short space of time.
“He has also brought out the best of, and trusted in, our young players.
“We trust that our supporters will continue to get behind Pep, the coaching staff and the players.”