Bellingham Needs to Cut Out the Immature behavior to Earn a Star Role In Manager Thomas Tuchel.

Should Bellingham wants to earn his place back into England’s strongest starting eleven, he would be wise to cut out the dramatics. His reaction after noticing that his number was being shown after an evening of mixed performance in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to overstate it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and respect for the players who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you need to comply being a professional."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for a strop. The captain had recently scored to make the national team leading by two in an inconsequential qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and the player, following an inconsistent display, was just shown a yellow for fouling the Albanian striker. This was hardly a debatable decision. In fact it would have been foolish for the manager to keep Bellingham on the pitch because it was possible he would make himself ineligible of the opening game of the competition by getting a another booking.

Shifting Focus on Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. It was impossible to miss the player's frustration as he realized that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and while he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the bench it was clear that Tuchel was displeased.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to head in the team's second, but the rest was harmful to his cause. It's not like protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the squad recently. In effect he was being assessed and he hasn't helped his case with his response to his substitution as the side wrapped up a flawless qualification run by seeing off a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result the jury is out on if England perform optimally including Bellingham. The performance was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested by the coach at the start. He has provided the squad organization and direction over the past few matches, employing a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed versus Albania. The young defender was given his first cap, Wharton started for the first time for England and the positioning of the defender as a part-time midfielder gave a similar look to City's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for Eze during the second half but at times seemed trying too hard. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player early on. England's play was messy for much of the second half. One Albania chance resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His caution occurred when an opponent took the ball from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Finally the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel introduced Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the role occupied by Bellingham during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka provided a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. It highlighted that set pieces will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for the second goal was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, everyone was watching Bellingham. The coach approached behind him and guided the player to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel is not willing to discard the player just yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to grant him a starring role is still uncertain.