Bellingham Needs to Eliminate the Petulance to Secure a Star Role Under Manager Thomas Tuchel.

For Bellingham to aims to fight his way back into the English best starting eleven, the smart move to eliminate the nonsense. His reaction after noticing that his number was going up after an evening of mixed performance in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you need to comply as a player."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no need for a strop. Kane had recently scored to make England leading by two in a meaningless fixture, the game had six minutes to go and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down the Albanian striker. This was hardly a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been foolish for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the competition by picking up a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. It was impossible to miss the player's disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for a teammate. He threw his arms up and although he exchanged a handshake on his way to the touchline it was clear that Tuchel was not impressed.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He applauded Marcus Rashford for sending in the ball for the captain to score his second of the night, but the rest was counterproductive. It's not like protesting was going to alter the decision. Tuchel has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the importance of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, not included in the team last month, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the team this month. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to being taken off as the national team rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a feisty challenge from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

It means opinions are divided on if the team operate most effectively including Bellingham. What we saw was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from the manager in the beginning. Under him, England have gained the team structure and clarity over the past few matches, building with a No 6, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but it felt different against Albania. The young defender was handed his international debut, the midfielder was in the starting lineup for England and the positioning of Stones as a part-time midfielder created a passing resemblance to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate during the second half but often looked trying too hard. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. The team looked disjointed after halftime. An opportunity for Albania followed Bellingham squandered possession. His booking occurred when he was dispossessed from Broja and committed a foul on Broja.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the bench quality made the difference. The coach brought on Foden, who looked better suited to the position occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka whipped in a corner for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of the winger's delivery for Kane’s header was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel came over to his side and directed the Real Madrid midfielder in the direction of the away supporters. Their connection is not damaged. Tuchel is not willing to abandon him at this stage. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to give him a starring role is not guaranteed.