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Should Bellingham aims to force his way into the English best starting eleven, it would be smart to cut out the dramatics. His reaction when he saw that the substitute board was being shown following a night of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to overstate it but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the squad members who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it as a player."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for an outburst. The captain had only moments earlier made it England two goals ahead in an inconsequential fixture, with only six minutes remaining and the player, who had not played particularly well, had just been booked for bringing down an opponent. This was hardly a debatable decision. In fact it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on given that it was possible the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s disappointment upon understanding that he was going to make way for a teammate. He threw his arms up and while he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the touchline it was clear that the manager was displeased.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He praised his teammate for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to score the team's second, but everything else was harmful to his cause. There was no chance protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the importance of behaving correctly.

Facing Examination

He, left out of the previous squad, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the fold in the current camp. In effect he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him by reacting to being taken off as England rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a tough opposition from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

It means opinions are divided on if England perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The performance was not definitive. There was experimentation from the manager in the beginning. He has provided the squad a clear system lately, using a holding player, a central midfielder, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel in this match. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the role of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder created a similar look to City's team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He made a chance for Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder early on. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham squandered possession. His booking was shown after an opponent took the ball from Broja and brought down the attacker.

Substitutes Decide

In the end the squad's strength made the difference. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who looked more naturally fitted to the spot in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner for the captain to break the deadlock. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks are going to be vital next summer.

Relationship Not Broken

However, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. At the end, all eyes were on the midfielder. The coach approached to his side and guided the player towards the travelling England fans. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon Bellingham yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to offer him a starring role is not guaranteed.