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For Bellingham to aims to fight his way once again into England’s strongest starting eleven, he would be wise to cut out the nonsense. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was being shown after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect towards the squad members who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it as a player."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no need for an outburst. The captain had only moments earlier made it England leading by two in a meaningless fixture, the game had six minutes to go and Bellingham, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for fouling an opponent. It was not a controversial substitution. Actually it would have been foolish for Tuchel to keep Bellingham on the pitch given that there was a risk Bellingham would rule himself out of the opening game of the competition by picking up a second caution.

Shifting Focus to Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the player's annoyance as he realized that he would be substituted for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and although he exchanged a handshake on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was displeased.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to head in his second of the night, but the rest was harmful to his cause. It is not as if arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, not included in last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny after returning to the team this month. Practically he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him through his behavior to being taken off as England wrapped up a flawless qualification run by defeating a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result opinions are divided on whether the team perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested by the coach at the start. He has provided England structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a defensive midfielder, a No 8, a playmaker and specialist wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Wharton made his first start for England and the use of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to the Manchester club's team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He made a chance for Eze after the break but often looked too desperate to impress. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. A pointless clash against an opponent early on. England were ragged during most of the second period. An opportunity for Albania followed Bellingham squandered possession. His caution came after an opponent took the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the bench quality made the difference. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared more naturally fitted to the position that Bellingham had played during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner for Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that set pieces will be crucial next summer.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the substitution incident. After the final whistle, everyone was watching Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and directed the player to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon Bellingham yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him centre stage is not guaranteed.