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For Bellingham to hopes to fight his way back into the English strongest starting eleven, the smart move to do away with the nonsense. The way he reacted after noticing that his number was about to come up after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I hold to my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the players who enter the game," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. It was unnecessary for an outburst. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it the national team two goals ahead in a dead rubber fixture, with only six minutes remaining and Bellingham, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. This was hardly a debatable decision. In fact it might have been reckless for the manager to not substitute him considering it was possible Bellingham would be suspended of the initial fixture of the tournament by receiving a second caution.

Shifting Focus to Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the player's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench it was obvious that the head coach was displeased.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Kane to head in his second of the night, but the rest was harmful to his cause. There was no chance complaining was going to reverse the substitution. The German has repeatedly emphasized following squad protocols and the necessity of acting professionally.

Under Scrutiny

He, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the fold in the current camp. Essentially his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to his substitution as England completed a ideal group stage by overcoming a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

This implies opinions are divided on whether the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was not definitive. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel early on. He has given the squad structure and clarity in recent months, using a No 6, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton made his first start internationally and the use of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder created a similar look to the Manchester club's team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eze after the break but often looked trying too hard. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player in the early stages. England were ragged after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after an opponent took the ball from Broja and fouled the attacker.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the squad's strength was decisive. The coach brought on Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the spot in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka delivered a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will play a key role next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, everyone was watching him. Tuchel walked up to his side and guided the Real Madrid midfielder towards the away supporters. The bond between them is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard Bellingham yet. However, whether he is willing to grant him the central position is not guaranteed.