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Should Bellingham wants to force his way once again into the English strongest squad, it would be smart to do away with the nonsense. His reaction when he saw that the substitute board was being shown following a night of uneven play in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the squad members who substitute on," commented the coach. "Choices are taken and you must accept them being a professional."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it the Three Lions leading by two in a dead rubber qualifier, with only six minutes remaining and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for a foul on Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a questionable change. Actually it might have been reckless for the head coach to not substitute him considering it was possible the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the competition by picking up a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. He threw his arms up and even though he exchanged a handshake while heading to the touchline there was no doubt that Tuchel was displeased.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to head in the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. It is not as if protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has repeatedly emphasized following squad protocols and the necessity of behaving correctly.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, omitted from the team last month, has faced close inspection upon his return to the team recently. In effect he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours with his response to his substitution as the national team rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

This implies it's unclear on if England perform optimally including Bellingham. The performance was inconclusive. There was experimentation by the coach in the beginning. He has provided England structure and clarity over the past few matches, building with a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed against Albania. Jarell Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup at this level and the role of the defender as a makeshift midfielder created a faint echo to City's team that won three trophies.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for Eberechi Eze after the break but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. The team looked disjointed during most of the second period. One Albania chance followed he lost the ball cheaply. His booking occurred when he was dispossessed to Broja and brought down Broja.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end the bench quality proved crucial. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who seemed more comfortable to the position that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka whipped in a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

However, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, everyone was watching Bellingham. Tuchel came over from behind and pushed the player in the direction of the English fans. Their connection is not broken. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. But if he is willing to give him a starring role is not guaranteed.