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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place into the English top squad, the smart move to eliminate the dramatics. His reaction upon realizing that he was being shown after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the teammates who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you need to comply as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. The captain had only moments earlier made it the Three Lions 2-0 up in a dead rubber match, the game had six minutes to go and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for a foul on an opponent. This was hardly a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the manager to not substitute him given that there was a risk the midfielder would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the tournament by receiving a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention to Himself

However, the player turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the player's annoyance when he clocked that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and while he exchanged a handshake while heading to the bench there was no doubt that the head coach was not impressed.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He applauded Rashford for providing the assist for Kane to head in the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. It is not as if protesting was going to reverse the substitution. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the importance of acting professionally.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, left out of last month’s squad, is being watched carefully upon his return to the squad recently. Practically he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him by reacting to being taken off as the side completed a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result it's unclear on how England operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested from Tuchel early on. He has provided the squad a clear system lately, employing a No 6, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel versus Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, the midfielder started for the first time at this level and the use of the defender as a makeshift midfielder meant there was similar look to the Manchester club's 2023 treble winners.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eze during the second half but at times seemed overly eager to shine. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England's play was messy for much of the second half. One Albania chance resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. His caution occurred when an opponent took the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the bench quality proved crucial. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who seemed better suited to the role occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka whipped in a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was partly forgotten amid the drama of the player change. After the final whistle, everyone was watching Bellingham. Tuchel came over behind him and directed the Real Madrid midfielder in the direction of the English fans. Their connection remains intact. Tuchel is not willing to discard him at this stage. But if Tuchel is inclined to grant him centre stage remains in doubt.