Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham reaction to substitution during England's World Cup qualifying win over Albania gives 'bad impression'

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Thomas Tuchel said Jude Bellingham's frustrated reaction to being substituted in England's 2-0 victory away against Albania gave a "bad impression". The Real Madrid midfielder appeared to throw his hands in the air after seeing he was being replaced by Morgan Rogers after the second goal. Meanwhile, after scoring twice, Harry Kane said the current England team are "as good as we've ever had".

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Thomas Tuchel said Jude Bellingham's frustrated reaction to being substituted in England's 2-0 victory away against Albania gave a "bad impression", insisting it "should be about the collective".

The result meant that England finished FIFA World Cup qualification with a perfect record, winning all eight of their matches without conceding a goal.

But the victory was somewhat overshadowed by the reaction of Bellingham as he was replaced by Morgan Rogers in the 84th minute in the aftermath of Harry Kane's second goal of the game.

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With the Real Madrid midfielder appearing to throw his hands in the air, while not celebrating with his team-mates, Tuchel said: "That is a bad impression. It should be about the collective. What we did in camp is all about the collective.

"I have to then review it - I was happy about the goal. I had a quick talk with Morgan Rogers, and I was sure that everyone would celebrate together. I will have a look at it.

"That is not the image we want to transport. We feel everyone is committed and that everyone accepts tough decisions, be it before the match or in the match, that excludes no one."

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Bellingham was in England's starting line-up for the first time since June, while Rogers was on the bench for the first time in five matches.

The battle for the No. 10 role in Tuchel's side appears to be between the two young midfielders.

The England boss admitted that Rogers was also unhappy with his selection choices, but that all players have to respect the decisions made.

He said: "He [Bellingham] didn't like it, but no one likes it. But that's how it is. Morgan didn't like to be out and didn't deserve to be out, but that was the decision.

"Jude was also on a yellow card, and I made the decision before the second goal, and the decision stands.

"My words stand, we are about standards, level and commitment to each other and respect to each other.

"We will not change our decision just because someone waves their arms."

England squad 'as good as we've ever had' says Kane

Harry Kane said the current England squad is "as good as we've ever had", saying they are "one of the favourites" for next summer's World Cup.

Per the BBC, they have now won 11 consecutive competitive matches for the first time in their history.

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Kane has already been a part of five major tournaments with the national team, an ever-present since the European Championship in 2016.

Despite reaching two finals and a semi-final in that time, the 32-year-old believes the current crop of players is the best yet.

Asked about the squad at full-time, the England captain told ITV: "It’s as good as we've ever had. You look at the starting 11, the players coming off the bench.

"We're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites, we have to accept that, we've been like that now for the last few tournaments.

"We’ve been building, we've had a great year together with the coach, and now we look forward to a big 2026."

Kane has now scored 78 goals in 112 appearances for his country, surpassing Pele's international goal tally, having notched eight times in eight games during qualifying.

Both of his goals against Albania were set up by substitutes, with Bukayo Saka's corner leading to the opener, before Marcus Rashford's pinpoint cross created the second.

The striker believes that players coming off the bench and making a similar impact to the two wingers is going to be crucial to success in the summer.

He said: "If you're going to go far in any tournament, you need a whole squad, you need players who don't start to come off the bench and make an impact, that's what football's about.

"It's not just the 11 that play, we're going to need everyone. The boys came on and made a difference."

The England squad will next come together for a set of friendly matches at the end of March.

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