Substituting Bellingham Sparks His Displeasure via Body Language; Tuchel Disgusts at His Behavior

In the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers Group Stage, England beat Albania 2-0 away. England midfielder Jude Bellingham appeared displeased when substituted during the match.

You can’t accuse Bellingham of lacking "team spirit"—as the "poster boy" for unruly behavior, his protest against Thomas Tuchel’s substitution decision was a textbook display of indignation.

He didn’t need to ask "Who else can be substituted?!", but instead questioned "Why me?!". The reason is clear: he had just picked up a yellow card, and a second one in the final six minutes would rule him out of England’s World Cup opener. Tuchel’s decision was wise—he had already warned players about the risk of suspension.

Yet Bellingham refused to accept it. He threw his arms up, stared at the manager on the sidelines, and used body language to show his dissatisfaction with Morgan Rogers warming up. Worse still, England had just celebrated Harry Kane’s second goal—Bellingham should have been immersed in collective joy rather than personal grievance. In fact, his complaints persisted before and after Kane’s goal.

This explains why Tuchel called his on-pitch behavior "disgusting" back in June, and why the manager omitted the Real Madrid star from the previous training camp—despite Bellingham’s plea to play after shoulder surgery. Clearly, Bellingham hasn’t learned his lesson.

By challenging the manager’s authority, he failed miserably in the mandatory "being a good teammate" course. What does his recklessness mean for Rogers, who was about to come on? Or for Kane, who just updated his international goal tally to 78? It’s as if he’s declaring: the world should revolve around me.

Remember, this was just the end of a World Cup qualifier where victory was already secured. What if substitutions are needed in a World Cup semi-final? Would he tie himself to the goalpost like a "Just Stop Oil" protester?

Tuchel fought to contain his anger after the game—his painstakingly built team cohesion is being tested. "I saw he was unhappy," the German coach said, “but my principles remain unchanged—we stand by standards, mutual dedication and respect. We won’t reverse decisions just because someone waves their arms.”

“I don’t want to overinterpret, but I must reiterate: code of conduct is key, and substitute teammates deserve respect. Players must accept established decisions.”

All this makes people wonder: is Bellingham really the right choice for Tuchel to take to North America? He surely wouldn’t want post-match coverage dominated by this conflict.

In fact, Bellingham had already misbehaved before kick-off. When the team huddled for a pre-match pep talk, he was absent, drinking water at the tunnel entrance—perhaps to mask the stadium’s pungent smoke. But on a night supposed to prove his return to team spirit, the scene was awkward indeed.

He did have bright moments: a crucial block in the box, orchestrating an attack that nearly saw Bowen score, and delivering a brilliant pass to Eze. But we also saw the Bellingham Tuchel least wants in an England shirt: when Bukayo Saka chose to shoot instead of crossing, he froze and gestured angrily; when teammates messed up passes, his face was filled with frustration.

Though England looked sluggish and disorganized in formation—placing Bellingham as right inside forward was even more puzzling—a conflict ten minutes into the game was more alarming: after being warned about red card risks, he pushed Uzuni over a minor foul. The force was light, but it exposed unnecessary irrationality.

Two hours later, when Tuchel waited on the sidelines to shake his hand and pat his back, the undercurrent between coach and player resurfaced. That pat on the hip felt profoundly meaningful.