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Should Bellingham wants to fight his way back into the English strongest team, the smart move to eliminate the dramatics. His reaction after noticing that he was being shown after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was not good enough.

"I prefer not to blow it out of proportion but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you have to accept it being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for a strop. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team two goals ahead in a meaningless match, there were six minutes left and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. This was hardly a questionable change. Actually it might have been reckless for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a chance the midfielder would be suspended of the initial fixture of the competition by receiving a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that he was going to make way for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and while he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was displeased.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He praised Rashford for sending in the ball for Kane to nod home his second goal, but everything else was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The German has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

The midfielder, omitted from the team last month, has faced close inspection upon his return to the squad in the current camp. Essentially he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him with his response to being taken off as England wrapped up a flawless qualification run by defeating a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

This implies the jury is out on whether England perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was inconclusive. There was experimentation from the manager in the beginning. Under him, England have gained the team organization and direction lately, using a holding player, a central midfielder, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but there was a different feel versus Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, Wharton started for the first time internationally and the positioning of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder created a faint echo to the Manchester club's team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He created an opportunity for Eberechi Eze after the break but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. Several rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player in the early stages. England's play was messy for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card was shown after an opponent took the ball to Broja and brought down Broja.

Substitutes Decide

In the end England’s depth proved crucial. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who appeared better suited to the spot in which Bellingham operated in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. Later Saka provided a corner kick for the captain to break the deadlock. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will play a key role next summer.

Connection Remains

However, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of the winger's delivery for Kane’s header was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the player change. At the end, everyone was watching him. Tuchel came over behind him and guided Bellingham in the direction of the English fans. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon the player just yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to grant him centre stage is still uncertain.