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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place once again into England’s best team, he would be wise to do away with the dramatics. His response after noticing that his number was going up after a match of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I hold to my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who substitute on," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. It was unnecessary for a tantrum. Kane had only moments earlier made it the Three Lions two goals ahead in an inconsequential fixture, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. Actually it might have been reckless for the head coach to keep Bellingham on the pitch given that it was possible the midfielder would be suspended of the first match of the competition by receiving a second caution.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and while he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the touchline there was no doubt that the head coach was displeased.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He congratulated Rashford for sending in the ball for Harry Kane to head in his second goal, but his other actions was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

He, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully upon his return to the team recently. Essentially his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours with his response to being taken off as the national team completed a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

It means opinions are divided on if the squad perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was inconclusive. There was experimentation from the manager at the start. He has given England structure and clarity in recent months, employing a defensive midfielder, a No 8, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton started for the first time for England and the role of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a faint echo to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eze after the break but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. A pointless clash against an opponent at the beginning. England were ragged after halftime. An opportunity for Albania followed Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card was shown after he was dispossessed by Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the squad's strength made the difference. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the role occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka whipped in a set-piece for Harry Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

However, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel walked up from behind and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder towards the away supporters. Their relationship remains intact. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to offer him the central position is not guaranteed.