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For Bellingham to aims to earn his place once again into England’s strongest starting eleven, the smart move to cut out the nonsense. The way he reacted after noticing that he was about to come up after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was not good enough.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I hold to my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the squad members who come in," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for a strop. Harry Kane had recently scored to make the national team two goals ahead in a meaningless fixture, the game had six minutes to go and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down Armando Broja. This was hardly a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the manager to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering there was a chance the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the competition by receiving a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus to Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's annoyance upon understanding that he would be substituted for another player. He threw his arms up and although he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the sideline it was obvious that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He applauded his teammate for providing the assist for Kane to nod home the team's second, but the rest was self-defeating. It's not like complaining was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about following squad protocols and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, left out of the team last month, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the team recently. Practically his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to his substitution as the side completed a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a tough opposition from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

It means it's unclear on how the squad operate most effectively including Bellingham. The evidence here was not definitive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager at the start. He has provided the squad structure and clarity over the past few matches, building with a No 6, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel against Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup internationally and the use of John Stones as a part-time midfielder gave a similar look to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He made a chance for Eze in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. Several poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation against an opponent early on. England's play was messy during most of the second period. An opportunity for Albania followed he lost the ball cheaply. His booking came after he was dispossessed by Broja and brought down the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately England’s depth was decisive. Tuchel threw on Foden, who seemed more comfortable to the position that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Saka. Eventually Saka provided a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

However, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, everyone was watching him. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided the player in the direction of the away supporters. Their connection remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on Bellingham yet. But if the coach is prepared to grant him centre stage remains in doubt.