🔗 Share this article

If Jude Bellingham hopes to earn his place into the English strongest starting eleven, it would be smart to cut out the nonsense. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was going up after an evening of mixed performance in Tirana was not good enough.

"I’d rather not overstate it but I stand by my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the squad members who substitute on," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. There was no need for a tantrum. The captain had recently scored to make the Three Lions leading by two in a meaningless qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, who had not played particularly well, had just been booked for bringing down Armando Broja. This was hardly a questionable change. Indeed it would have been foolish for the manager to not substitute him considering there was a risk Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the first match of the tournament by getting a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

However, the player drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the player's frustration as he realized that his replacement was ready for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and while he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench it was obvious that the manager was not impressed.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for sending in the ball for Kane to head in his second goal, but everything else was harmful to his cause. It is not as if protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, omitted from the previous squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the team this month. In effect he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him by reacting to being taken off as the national team completed a ideal group stage by overcoming a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

It means it's unclear on if the squad perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel at the start. He has provided England a clear system in recent months, using a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed in this match. Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder made his first start at this level and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder gave a similar look to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent in the early stages. England's play was messy for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed to Broja and brought down the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately England’s depth made the difference. Tuchel introduced Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the position in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner kick for the captain to score the first goal. It highlighted that set pieces will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was a little lost amid the drama of the player change. At the end, the focus was on the midfielder. Tuchel came over behind him and guided the player in the direction of the away supporters. The bond between them remains intact. Tuchel is not willing to abandon the player just yet. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to give him a starring role is not guaranteed.