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For Bellingham to aims to earn his place once again into England’s best squad, he would be wise to cut out the nonsense. His reaction when he saw that his number was about to come up after an evening of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the squad members who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you must accept them when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for a tantrum. The captain had only moments earlier made it the Three Lions two goals ahead in a dead rubber qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, had just been booked for bringing down an opponent. This could scarcely be called a debatable decision. In fact it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on because there was a chance Bellingham would be suspended of the initial fixture of the tournament by getting a second caution.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's disappointment upon understanding that he was going to make way for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the bench there was no doubt that the manager did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He praised Rashford for providing the assist for the captain to head in his second of the night, but the rest was counterproductive. It is not as if arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The German has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the importance of behaving correctly.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, not included in the team last month, has faced close inspection after returning to the team this month. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to coming off the pitch as England completed a flawless qualification run by seeing off a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on whether England perform optimally including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel at the start. Under him, England have gained England organization and direction over the past few matches, building with a holding player, a No 8, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel versus Albania. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup internationally and the use of Stones as a makeshift midfielder gave a passing resemblance to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eze in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. Several hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. The team looked disjointed during most of the second period. One Albania chance followed Bellingham squandered possession. His caution occurred when he was dispossessed to Broja and fouled Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who seemed more comfortable to the position occupied by Bellingham during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka delivered a corner for the captain to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks will play a key role at the World Cup.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was a little lost amid the drama of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, all eyes were on him. Tuchel walked up to his side and directed the player in the direction of the English fans. Their relationship is not broken. The coach isn't ready to give up on him at this stage. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to give him centre stage remains in doubt.