🔗 Share this article

For Bellingham to hopes to earn his place once again into England’s strongest squad, the smart move to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His reaction after noticing that his number was going up after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who come in," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them as a player."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for a strop. Kane had just put England leading by two in an inconsequential qualifier, with only six minutes remaining and he, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for a foul on an opponent. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been foolish for the manager to not substitute him considering there was a chance Bellingham would rule himself out of the first match of the World Cup by receiving a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention on Himself

However, the player turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the player's annoyance upon understanding that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and even though he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the sideline it was obvious that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He praised Rashford for sending in the ball for Kane to head in his second goal, but his other actions was self-defeating. It is not as if complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has repeatedly emphasized following squad protocols and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, not included in the previous squad, has faced close inspection since coming back to the squad this month. In effect his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to coming off the pitch as the national team completed a ideal group stage by defeating a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

It means it's unclear on how England function at their best including Bellingham. The performance was inconclusive. There was experimentation by the coach early on. Under him, England have gained the team structure and clarity lately, employing a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the use of John Stones as a makeshift midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to City's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze after the break but at times seemed overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player early on. England's play was messy for much of the second half. An opportunity for Albania came after he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed from Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the squad's strength made the difference. Tuchel introduced the Manchester City player, who looked more comfortable to the position in which Bellingham operated in the opening period, and Saka. Later Saka whipped in a corner for Harry Kane to score the first goal. It was a reminder that set pieces will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

However, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane's goal was a little lost amid the drama of the player change. After the final whistle, the focus was on the midfielder. The coach approached behind him and directed the player to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their connection is not broken. Tuchel is not willing to discard him at this stage. But if Tuchel is inclined to offer him the central position is not guaranteed.