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If Jude Bellingham wants to earn his place once again into the English top team, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. His response after noticing that the substitute board was going up after an evening of mixed performance in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for a strop. Kane had recently scored to make England leading by two in a meaningless match, there were six minutes left and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, had just been booked for bringing down the Albanian striker. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the manager to not substitute him considering there was a chance he would make himself ineligible of the opening game of the competition by getting a another booking.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the young midfielder's disappointment when he clocked that he was going to make way for another player. His arms went up in exasperation and although he shook Tuchel’s hand on his way to the touchline it was clear that the head coach did not appreciate it.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He congratulated Rashford for providing the assist for Kane to score the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. It is not as if arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, not included in the previous squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the team in the current camp. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours with his response to being taken off as England completed a flawless qualification run by seeing off a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

This implies opinions are divided on how the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was inconclusive. There was experimentation by the coach in the beginning. He has given the squad organization and direction over the past few matches, using a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder started for the first time for England and the role of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. He made many poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution came after he was dispossessed to Broja and brought down Broja.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who appeared better suited to the role that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for the captain to break the deadlock. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will play a key role next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, everyone was watching him. Tuchel walked up behind him and pushed the player to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not damaged. Tuchel is not willing to give up on him at this stage. However, whether the coach is prepared to offer him a starring role is not guaranteed.