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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place once again into England’s top squad, he would be wise to do away with the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted when he saw that the substitute board was going up after a match of mixed performance in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to blow it out of proportion but I hold to my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect for the players who come in," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for an outburst. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team leading by two in an inconsequential qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for fouling Armando Broja. This was hardly a questionable change. Indeed it would have been unwise for Tuchel to not substitute him considering there was a chance he would be suspended of the first match of the World Cup by receiving a another booking.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

However, the player drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's annoyance upon understanding that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and although he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the touchline there was no doubt that the head coach was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to nod home his second of the night, but his other actions was self-defeating. It's not like arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has talked so much about following squad protocols and the value of acting professionally.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the team this month. Essentially he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him by reacting to coming off the pitch as the side wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

This implies it's unclear on how England perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The performance was not definitive. Some new ideas were tested from the manager in the beginning. He has provided the squad organization and direction over the past few matches, building with a No 6, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed against Albania. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder was in the starting lineup for England and the positioning of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a similar look to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. A pointless clash against an opponent early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution was shown after an opponent took the ball to Broja and fouled Broja.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the bench quality was decisive. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who appeared more comfortable to the role occupied by Bellingham during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. Later Saka whipped in a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was a little lost due to the fuss of the player change. At the end, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided the player in the direction of the away supporters. The bond between them remains intact. Tuchel is not willing to give up on the player just yet. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him a starring role is still uncertain.