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For Bellingham to hopes to fight his way once again into the English best team, he would be wise to cut out the dramatics. His reaction when he saw that the substitute board was being shown after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the teammates who substitute on," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a strop. Harry Kane had recently scored to make the Three Lions 2-0 up in a meaningless fixture, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, received a caution for fouling Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a questionable change. Indeed it might have been reckless for the manager to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering there was a chance he would rule himself out of the opening game of the tournament by receiving a another booking.

Turning the Spotlight on Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s annoyance when he clocked that he would be substituted for a teammate. He threw his arms up and even though he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the sideline it was obvious that Tuchel did not appreciate it.

Here lies the test that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to nod home his second goal, but his other actions was counterproductive. It is not as if arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the importance of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, left out of last month’s squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the squad this month. Practically he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to coming off the pitch as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a tough opposition from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

This implies the jury is out on whether England function at their best including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from the manager early on. He has given England organization and direction in recent months, building with a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different against Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Wharton started for the first time for England and the use of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was similar look to the Manchester club's team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player in the early stages. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. One Albania chance followed he lost the ball cheaply. His caution occurred when he lost the ball by Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Substitutes Decide

Ultimately the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who looked more comfortable to the role that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner kick for Harry Kane to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that set pieces will be crucial at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The excellence of the winger's delivery for Kane’s header was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, everyone was watching the midfielder. Tuchel walked up behind him and pushed the player towards the English fans. The bond between them remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on Bellingham yet. But if Tuchel is inclined to grant him the central position is not guaranteed.