Tuchel Warns Bellingham After Substitution Outburst As Kane Breaks Pelé’s Record

‎Thomas Tuchel stressed that “behavior is key,” making clear his dissatisfaction with Jude Bellingham’s frustrated reaction to being substituted during England’s 2-0 victory over Albania last night.

‎Bellingham, who had a mixed display after returning to the starting XI, appeared visibly unhappy as he realized he would be replaced by Morgan Rogers in the 84th minute at the Air Albania Stadium.

‎The midfielder joined in the celebrations after Harry Kane’s second goal but then threw his arms up in the air, leaving Tuchel unimpressed.

‎“He has to accept the decision,” England’s head coach said.

‎“His friend is waiting on the sidelines, so you need to accept it, respect it, and keep on going. I have to review it. I saw he was not happy.

‎”To a certain degree, if you have players like Jude who are so competitive, they will never like it, but my word stands, it is about standards, commitment, and respect to each other. So someone is waiting and we will not change our decision because someone is waving their arms.”

‎Bellingham shook hands with Tuchel as he went off. But Tuchel has repeatedly emphasised the importance of the collective.

‎“Morgan Rogers was for sure not happy when he couldn’t start today because he deserves to play for us and he wants to play all the time,” the German said.

‎“We gave him a bit of a rest because he came with a lot of minutes for his club and played against Serbia. I don’t want to make more out of it, but I stick to my words, ‘behaviour is key’.”

‎Thomas Tuchel welcomed England’s flawless qualifying campaign, noting it’s eight wins from eight in Group K with no goals conceded. The 2-0 win over Albania wasn’t England’s best performance, but they clinched another victory thanks to a late double from Harry Kane, who has now surpassed Pelé’s record of 77 international goals.

‎“We just mentioned it in the dressing room,” Tuchel said.

‎“This cherry on top of everything is that he overcame Pelé today. Harry’s investment in these matches is just outstanding. He is so invested in everything that we do.

‎“If you see him play for Bayern Munich, I have to say it’s the same. He’s in a mindset and a physical condition that is absolutely at the highest level.

‎”He produces goal after goal for us, and the way he works, tracks back, and finds solutions in offensive play. It’s just outstanding at the moment.”