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Should Bellingham hopes to fight his way into the English best team, the smart move to do away with the dramatics. The way he reacted upon realizing that he was being shown following a night of mixed performance in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the squad members who come in," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it as a player."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a tantrum. Kane had only moments earlier made it the national team two goals ahead in a dead rubber qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down an opponent. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been unwise for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on given that there was a risk he would rule himself out of the first match of the World Cup by receiving a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the player's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and although he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the bench it was obvious that the head coach was displeased.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for providing the assist for the captain to score the team's second, but the rest was harmful to his cause. It's not like complaining was going to alter the decision. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the importance of acting professionally.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, left out of the team last month, has faced close inspection upon his return to the squad recently. Practically he has been on trial and his actions haven't benefited him through his behavior to being taken off as the national team rounded off a flawless qualification run by seeing off a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

This implies opinions are divided on if England perform optimally when Bellingham plays. What we saw was not definitive. There was experimentation from the manager in the beginning. Under him, England have gained the squad structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, the midfielder started for the first time internationally and the positioning of the defender as a part-time midfielder created a faint echo to City's team that won three trophies.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. A pointless clash with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England's play was messy after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed to Broja and fouled Broja.

Substitutes Decide

In the end England’s depth proved crucial. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the spot that Bellingham had played during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka provided a set-piece for Kane to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial next summer.

Relationship Not Broken

However, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the substitution incident. At the end, everyone was watching him. Tuchel walked up behind him and guided Bellingham to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship remains intact. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to give him a starring role is not guaranteed.