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If Jude Bellingham aims to fight his way once again into England’s strongest squad, he would be wise to do away with the dramatics. His reaction upon realizing that he was going up after a match of uneven play 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 enter the game," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them when you're on the field."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for a strop. Kane had only moments earlier made it England two goals ahead in a meaningless fixture, there were six minutes left and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, had just been booked for fouling an opponent. This was hardly a questionable change. In fact it would have been foolish for the head coach to leave Bellingham on given that there was a chance Bellingham would rule himself out of the first match of the tournament by getting a second yellow card.

Turning the Spotlight to Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's frustration upon understanding that he would be substituted for another player. He flung his arms in the air and although he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the bench there was no doubt that the manager was displeased.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to head in the team's second, but the rest was self-defeating. It's not like arguing was going to reverse the substitution. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

He, not included in the team last month, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the fold this month. Essentially his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours with his response to his substitution as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a tough opposition from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

This implies the jury is out on how the squad perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The evidence here was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. He has provided England structure and clarity lately, using a No 6, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but it felt different against Albania. Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder made his first start at this level and the use of the defender as a part-time midfielder created a similar look to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for his teammate during the second half but at times seemed too desperate to impress. Several rushed, misplaced passes. A pointless clash with a rival player early on. The team looked disjointed after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card occurred when he was dispossessed from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally England’s depth proved crucial. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the spot that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka delivered a set-piece for Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial next summer.

Connection Remains

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was partly forgotten amid the drama of the player change. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. The coach approached from behind and guided Bellingham towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard the player just yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to grant him a starring role remains in doubt.