If Jude Bellingham wants to regain his position in the strongest squad of the England team, the smartest thing right now is to put aside unnecessary emotions. His uncontrolled reaction as soon as he was substituted after an unconvincing performance at Tirana was clearly not a positive one.
That action would be no different than a challenge to Thomas Tuchel's authority, and certainly not the right move. It only reinforces the feeling that Bellingham still does not really understand that his future in the national team depends on his ability to accept a role in the team, not putting the ego above him.
Bellingham needs to learn. There is no reason to be angry in that situation. Harry Kane has just raised the score to 2-0 for England in a qualifying match that was already full of stalemate, with only 7 minutes left and Bellingham had to receive a yellow card after a foul on Armando Broja.
This is not a controversial substitution decision. In fact, it would be unwise for Tuchel to keep him on the pitch, as Bellingham are at risk of being suspended for the opening match of the World Cup if they get another free card.
However, it was Bellingham who turned himself into the center of attention. The 22-year-old could not hide his frustration when he realized that he was about to be replaced by Morgan Rogers. He raised his hand and lamented, and although he still shook hands with Tuchel when leaving the pitch, the head coach's expressions showed that he was completely dissatisfied.
"I don't want to say too much, but I keep the same view: behavior is the key, and respecting teammates is a must. The decision is made, and as a player, you have to accept it," Tuchel said.
This is a test for Bellingham. He had a positive moment celebrating with Marcus Rashford for assisting Kane to a double, but the rest was a complete failure. The objection did not make Tuchel change his decision. The German coach has long emphasized the importance of respect, discipline and the decentralization system in the team.
Bellingham - who was left out of the squad last month - has been under scrutiny since his return. And in the final match of England's qualifying campaign against Albania, his uncontrolled reaction when he was substituted clearly did not bring him any benefits.
This means that it is still impossible to confirm that the "Three Lions" can operate best with Bellingham in the squad. What happened on the pitch has not created enough convincing evidence.
Bellingham had a rather erratic performance. He created opportunities for Eze in the second half, but overall he played too recklessly and did not leave many positive impressions.
Many of his passes were in a hurry, inaccurate, and went off the original plan. From the first minutes, the Real Madrid midfielder had an unnecessary dispute with the albanian player, signaling instability in the way he approached the match.
In the second half, Bellingham was often pressured by Albania players and confused him in many situations. A dangerous opportunity for Albania came from Bellingham's mistake when he lost the ball in the midfield area. The player's yellow card also came in a similar scenario. He let Armando Broja win the ball and was then forced to foul the former Chelsea striker to block the counter-attack.
At the end of the match, all eyes were on Bellingham. Tuchel stepped from behind, put his hand on his back and gently pushed the Real Madrid midfielder towards the stands, where England fans were celebrating. It was a small act but showed that the relationship between the two teachers and students had not cracked. Tuchel, of course, still wants to give up Bellingham.
However, there are still big questions. Is Tuchel ready to continue giving Bellingham the central role in the squad? That position, which requires stability, discipline and the ability to integrate into the team, is still an unanswered question for this talented but also individual young player.
