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For Bellingham to wants to force his way back into the English best starting eleven, he would be wise to cut out the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted when he saw that the substitute board was about to come up after a match of mixed performance in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect for the teammates who substitute on," commented the coach. "Decisions are made and you have to accept it as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team 2-0 up in a dead rubber match, there were six minutes left and the player, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for fouling an opponent. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it might have been reckless for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible the midfielder would rule himself out of the first match of the World Cup by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention to Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's disappointment when he clocked that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and although he exchanged a handshake while heading to the bench it was obvious that Tuchel was displeased.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded his teammate for providing the assist for Harry Kane to nod home his second of the night, but his other actions was harmful to his cause. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, left out of the team last month, has been under scrutiny after returning to the squad this month. In effect he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to being taken off as England rounded off a flawless qualification run by seeing off a spirited effort from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

As a result it's unclear on if England perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The evidence here was inconclusive. Some new ideas were tested from Tuchel in the beginning. He has given the team a clear system over the past few matches, building with a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but it felt different in this match. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, Adam Wharton made his first start for England and the role of the defender as a part-time midfielder gave a faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but at times seemed too desperate to impress. Several poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. One Albania chance came after he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball to Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end the squad's strength was decisive. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who seemed more naturally fitted to the spot in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner for the captain to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, all eyes were on Bellingham. Tuchel came over behind him and pushed Bellingham in the direction of the English fans. Their connection remains intact. The coach isn't ready to abandon the player just yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him centre stage remains in doubt.