Jude Bellingham Must Cut Out the Nonsense to Reclaim a Central Role Under Tuchel.
Should Bellingham wants to earn his place back into England’s strongest team, he would be wise to do away with the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted after noticing that his number was going up following a night of uneven play in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.
"I’d rather not make more out of it but I stick to my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect towards the squad members who come in," Tuchel said. "Decisions are made and you have to accept it when you're on the field."
There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no need for a tantrum. Harry Kane had just put England two goals ahead in a dead rubber fixture, with only six minutes remaining and he, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for fouling Armando Broja. It was not a questionable change. Actually it would have been foolish for Tuchel to not substitute him given that it was possible he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the tournament by receiving a another booking.
Turning the Spotlight Upon Himself
Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. No one could overlook the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and while he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the sideline it was clear that Tuchel was displeased.
Here lies the test that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded his teammate for providing the assist for the captain to head in his second of the night, but everything else was self-defeating. It is not as if complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.
Under Scrutiny
Bellingham, omitted from the team last month, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the team in the current camp. Practically he was being assessed and he hasn't helped his case by reacting to being taken off as the national team wrapped up a flawless qualification run by defeating a tough opposition from their opponents.
The System and the Setup
It means it's unclear on if the team operate most effectively including Bellingham. What we saw was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested by the coach early on. Under him, England have gained England structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a holding player, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel against Albania. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, Wharton started for the first time for England and the positioning of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.
Mixed Performance
Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player early on. The team looked disjointed after halftime. One Albania chance came after he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball to Broja and committed a foul on Broja.
Depth Makes the Difference
Finally the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared better suited to the spot in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka whipped in a set-piece for Kane to score the first goal. It was a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.
Bridge Still Stands
Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford's cross for the second goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the substitution incident. At the end, all eyes were on him. The coach approached to his side and directed Bellingham towards the travelling England fans. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel is not willing to discard the player just yet. But if the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage is not guaranteed.