Jude Bellingham Has to Cut Out the Immature behavior to Earn a Key Role In Coach Tuchel.

If Jude Bellingham wants to force his way into England’s best starting eleven, it would be smart to cut out the dramatics. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was about to come up after a match of inconsistency in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the teammates who come in," commented the coach. "Choices are taken and you need to comply when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for an outburst. The captain had just put the national team leading by two in an inconsequential match, the game had six minutes to go and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down the Albanian striker. This was hardly a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the head coach to keep Bellingham on the pitch because there was a chance he would be suspended of the initial fixture of the competition by picking up a another booking.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s disappointment as he realized that he would be substituted for another player. He threw his arms up and while he exchanged a handshake on his way to the touchline it was obvious that the head coach was displeased.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to head in his second goal, but his other actions was self-defeating. It's not like complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the value of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

He, omitted from the team last month, has faced close inspection since coming back to the squad recently. In effect his place has been in question and his actions haven't benefited him through his behavior to being taken off as England rounded off a ideal group stage by defeating a spirited effort from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on how the team function at their best including Bellingham. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from Tuchel early on. Under him, England have gained the team structure and clarity lately, using a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and out-and-out wingers, but the approach changed in this match. Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder was in the starting lineup for England and the role of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared trying too hard. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. One Albania chance resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card was shown after he lost the ball to Broja and brought down the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the bench quality was decisive. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who looked better suited to the role occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will play a key role next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was a little lost amid the drama of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, all eyes were on Bellingham. The coach approached from behind and pushed the player towards the travelling England fans. Their relationship remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on the player just yet. But if he is willing to give him centre stage remains in doubt.