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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place back into England’s best starting eleven, the smart move to do away with the nonsense. His reaction upon realizing that his number was going up after an evening of uneven play in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a tantrum. The captain had just put England two goals ahead in a meaningless qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a questionable change. Actually it might have been reckless for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the opening game of the competition by getting a second yellow card.

Turning the Spotlight Upon Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the young midfielder's annoyance upon understanding that he was going to make way for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench there was no doubt that the head coach was displeased.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for sending in the ball for the captain to head in the team's second, but everything else was counterproductive. There was no chance complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has repeatedly emphasized following squad protocols and the value of behaving correctly.

Under Scrutiny

He, omitted from last month’s squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the fold in the current camp. In effect he has been on trial and his actions haven't benefited him by reacting to his substitution as the national team wrapped up a ideal group stage by seeing off a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result opinions are divided on how the team operate most effectively when Bellingham plays. What we saw was inconclusive. There was experimentation from the manager in the beginning. He has provided England organization and direction in recent months, employing a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel in this match. Quansah was handed his international debut, Adam Wharton started for the first time at this level and the use of Stones as a makeshift midfielder gave a similar look to the Manchester club's 2023 treble winners.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He made a chance for his teammate after the break but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player early on. England were ragged during most of the second period. An opportunity for Albania came after he lost the ball cheaply. His caution was shown after an opponent took the ball from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally England’s depth proved crucial. Tuchel introduced the Manchester City player, who looked more comfortable to the position that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka provided a corner kick for the captain to score the first goal. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will play a key role at the World Cup.

Bridge Still Stands

However, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of the winger's delivery for the second goal was partly forgotten amid the drama of the Rogers substitution. At the end, the focus was on Bellingham. The coach approached behind him and directed the player to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not broken. The coach isn't ready to discard him at this stage. But if Tuchel is inclined to give him centre stage is still uncertain.