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Should Bellingham wants to earn his place into England’s best team, the smart move to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His response upon realizing that his number was about to come up following a night of mixed performance in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the teammates who enter the game," commented the coach. "Decisions are made and you must accept them when you're on the field."

The midfielder must understand. There was no need for a strop. The captain had recently scored to make England two goals ahead in a dead rubber match, with only six minutes remaining and Bellingham, following an inconsistent display, had just been booked for fouling an opponent. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. Indeed it would have been unwise for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the first match of the World Cup by receiving a second caution.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the player's disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. He threw his arms up and although he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the sideline it was clear that Tuchel was displeased.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for sending in the ball for Harry Kane to head in the team's second, but everything else was counterproductive. There was no chance arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the importance of behaving correctly.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, not included in the team last month, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the fold in the current camp. Essentially his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours with his response to being taken off as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result the jury is out on whether England function at their best with Bellingham in the team. The performance was not definitive. There was experimentation from Tuchel in the beginning. Under him, England have gained the squad a clear system lately, employing a holding player, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup at this level and the positioning of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder gave a similar look to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. An unnecessary confrontation against an opponent at the beginning. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. One Albania chance followed Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card came after an opponent took the ball from Broja and committed a foul on Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel threw on Foden, who appeared better suited to the position in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka delivered a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. It was a reminder that set pieces will play a key role next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of the winger's delivery for the second goal was partly forgotten amid the drama of the substitution incident. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel came over to his side and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the away supporters. The bond between them is not damaged. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. But if the coach is prepared to give him a starring role is still uncertain.