Bellingham Has to Drop the Petulance to Reclaim a Central Role With Coach Tuchel.

If Jude Bellingham hopes to earn his place into the English strongest team, he would be wise to cut out the unnecessary reactions. His response upon realizing that he was being shown after an evening of inconsistency in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to blow it out of proportion but I hold to my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the players who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Decisions are made and you must accept them being a professional."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for a strop. Kane had recently scored to make England two goals ahead in an inconsequential match, there were six minutes left and he, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for a foul on Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been foolish for the manager to not substitute him because there was a risk the midfielder would rule himself out of the first match of the World Cup by receiving a another booking.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s disappointment when he clocked that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and although he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Rashford for providing the assist for the captain to head in his second of the night, but his other actions was harmful to his cause. It is not as if protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, left out of the team last month, has faced close inspection since coming back to the fold this month. Practically his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to coming off the pitch as the side rounded off a flawless qualification run by seeing off a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on how the team operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from the manager in the beginning. He has provided England structure and clarity lately, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. The young defender was given his first cap, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup at this level and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder meant there was similar look to City's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but often looked too desperate to impress. He made many poorly executed passes. A pointless clash with an Albania midfielder early on. England's play was messy during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after he lost the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

Finally England’s depth made the difference. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who looked more comfortable to the spot in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for the captain to open the scoring. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for Kane's goal was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, all eyes were on him. Tuchel walked up from behind and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder towards the away supporters. Their relationship is not damaged. The coach isn't ready to give up on the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to grant him centre stage is still uncertain.