🔗 Share this article

Should Bellingham hopes to fight his way into the English strongest starting eleven, he would be wise to eliminate the nonsense. The way he reacted when he saw that he was about to come up after an evening of inconsistency in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to overstate it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the squad members who come in," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a strop. The captain had just put the Three Lions 2-0 up in a meaningless fixture, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, had just been booked for fouling an opponent. It was not a questionable change. In fact it might have been reckless for the head coach to keep Bellingham on the pitch because there was a risk he would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Turning the Spotlight Upon Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the 22-year-old’s frustration when he clocked that he was going to make way for another player. He flung his arms in the air and while he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the bench it was obvious that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He praised his teammate for sending in the ball for Kane to head in his second of the night, but the rest was self-defeating. It is not as if protesting was going to alter the decision. The German has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of behaving correctly.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the fold this month. In effect he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to his substitution as the national team completed a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a tough opposition from Albania.

The System and the Setup

It means opinions are divided on if England operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things by the coach at the start. He has given England a clear system in recent months, employing a holding player, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder made his first start internationally and the use of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder gave a faint echo to City's 2023 treble winners.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for Eze after the break but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation against an opponent early on. England's play was messy for much of the second half. One Albania chance followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution occurred when he was dispossessed by Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the bench quality proved crucial. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who looked better suited to the role occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner for Harry Kane to break the deadlock. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

However, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. At the end, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and pushed the player towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon him at this stage. Yet whether the coach is prepared to give him the central position is not guaranteed.