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Should Bellingham hopes to force his way back into England’s best squad, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was about to come up after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana was not good enough.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the teammates who come in," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you need to comply being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for an outburst. The captain had recently scored to make England leading by two in a meaningless match, with only six minutes remaining and Bellingham, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for fouling the Albanian striker. This could scarcely be called a debatable decision. Indeed it would have been foolish for the manager to leave Bellingham on because there was a chance he would rule himself out of the first match of the competition by picking up a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the player's frustration upon understanding that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and even though he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the sideline it was obvious that the manager was displeased.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for providing the assist for Harry Kane to nod home his second goal, but everything else was counterproductive. It is not as if complaining was going to alter the decision. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the importance of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

He, not included in the previous squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the squad recently. In effect his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to being taken off as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a spirited effort from Albania.

Tactics and Formation

It means the jury is out on how the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. He has provided the team organization and direction lately, using a defensive midfielder, a No 8, a playmaker and out-and-out wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder made his first start internationally and the role of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder gave a passing resemblance to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He created an opportunity for Eze during the second half but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. England were ragged after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His caution came after he was dispossessed to Broja and brought down Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

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. In time Saka whipped in a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will play a key role next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was a little lost due to the fuss of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, all eyes were on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided Bellingham towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them remains intact. Tuchel is not willing to abandon him at this stage. However, whether the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage is not guaranteed.