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For Bellingham to aims to earn his place into England’s best squad, he would be wise to cut out the nonsense. His response after noticing that his number was about to come up following a night of uneven play in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you must accept them as a player."

The midfielder must understand. It was unnecessary for a strop. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it the Three Lions 2-0 up in a meaningless fixture, with only six minutes remaining and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the head coach to not substitute him because there was a risk he would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the competition by receiving a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the 22-year-old’s frustration as he realized that he would be substituted for another player. He flung his arms in the air and although he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the touchline it was obvious that Tuchel was displeased.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He applauded Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to score the team's second, but his other actions was harmful to his cause. It is not as if protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

He, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully since coming back to the fold in the current camp. Essentially he was being assessed and his actions haven't benefited him with his response to his substitution as England completed a ideal group stage by seeing off a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

This implies it's unclear on if the team function at their best including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from Tuchel early on. Under him, England have gained England a clear system over the past few matches, using a No 6, a No 8, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed in this match. Quansah was handed his international debut, Wharton started for the first time for England and the positioning of the defender as a part-time midfielder gave a similar look to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eze during the second half but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. England's play was messy during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card came after he was dispossessed to Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end the squad's strength made the difference. The coach brought on Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the position occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner for Kane to break the deadlock. It was a reminder that set pieces will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was a little lost due to the fuss of the player change. At the end, the focus was on the midfielder. The coach approached behind him and guided the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the away supporters. Their connection is not broken. The coach isn't ready to give up on the player just yet. Yet whether the coach is prepared to grant him the central position remains in doubt.