Bellingham Must Cut Out the Petulance to Secure a Star Role In Tuchel.

For Bellingham to hopes to fight his way once again into the English best squad, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. His response upon realizing that his number was about to come up after a match of inconsistency in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect towards the teammates who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you must accept them when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for a strop. Harry Kane had just put England 2-0 up in a dead rubber qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for a foul on an opponent. This was hardly a debatable decision. Indeed it might have been reckless for the head coach to not substitute him given that it was possible he would rule himself out of the opening game of the tournament by receiving a second caution.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench it was clear that the manager did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He applauded his teammate for delivering the cross for Kane to nod home his second goal, but his other actions was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to alter the decision. The coach has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the necessity of behaving correctly.

Under Scrutiny

He, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully upon his return to the squad in the current camp. In effect he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours with his response to coming off the pitch as the side wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a spirited effort from Albania.

The System and the Setup

As a result opinions are divided on whether the team perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The performance was not definitive. There was experimentation from the manager early on. He has given England a clear system lately, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but there was a different feel against Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton made his first start for England and the use of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a passing resemblance to City's team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He created an opportunity for Eze in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. Several poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England were ragged during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card came after he was dispossessed from Broja and brought down the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the bench quality made the difference. The coach brought on Foden, who appeared better suited to the spot in which Bellingham operated in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. Later Saka whipped in a set-piece for the captain to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will play a key role at the World Cup.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up to his side and guided the Real Madrid midfielder towards the travelling England fans. Their connection is not broken. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage is not guaranteed.