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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place once again into England’s best team, he would be wise to cut out the dramatics. The way he reacted upon realizing that he was about to come up after an evening of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who come in," Tuchel said. "Decisions are made and you need to comply as a player."

The midfielder must understand. There was no need for a tantrum. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it the national team two goals ahead in a meaningless fixture, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the head coach to keep Bellingham on the pitch given that there was a risk Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the opening game of the competition by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

However, the player drew all eyes toward himself. No one could overlook the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that he would be substituted for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and even though he exchanged a handshake while heading to the sideline it was clear that the manager was not impressed.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He praised Marcus Rashford for sending in the ball for the captain to nod home the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about following squad protocols and the importance of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, left out of last month’s squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the team recently. Essentially he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to coming off the pitch as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

This implies opinions are divided on whether the squad perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was not definitive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager at the start. Under him, England have gained the team a clear system lately, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but there was a different feel in this match. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder started for the first time at this level and the positioning of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was similar look to Manchester City’s 2023 treble winners.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He created an opportunity for his teammate during the second half but at times seemed trying too hard. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder early on. England's play was messy after halftime. One Albania chance followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed by Broja and fouled the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the squad's strength was decisive. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who looked more comfortable to the spot in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner for Harry Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford's cross for the second goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the substitution incident. After the final whistle, everyone was watching the midfielder. Tuchel came over from behind and pushed the player in the direction of the English fans. Their connection is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on Bellingham yet. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him the central position remains in doubt.