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Should Bellingham hopes to force his way into England’s top squad, it would be smart to cut out the dramatics. The way he reacted after noticing that his number was going up after a match of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you need to comply when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for an outburst. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team 2-0 up in a meaningless fixture, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling Armando Broja. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been unwise for the head coach to not substitute him considering there was a risk Bellingham would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the tournament by receiving a another booking.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s annoyance upon understanding that his replacement was ready for another player. He flung his arms in the air and although he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the touchline it was clear that the head coach was displeased.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for providing the assist for the captain to score his second of the night, but everything else was harmful to his cause. There was no chance arguing was going to alter the decision. The German has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

He, omitted from the previous squad, has been under scrutiny after returning to the fold this month. In effect his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to being taken off as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a tough opposition from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

It means opinions are divided on how England perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was inconclusive. There was experimentation from the manager early on. Under him, England have gained England organization and direction lately, building with a No 6, a central midfielder, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but it felt different against Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, the midfielder started for the first time internationally and the role of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a passing resemblance to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eze during the second half but at times seemed too desperate to impress. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder early on. England were ragged during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents came after Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card occurred when he was dispossessed from Broja and fouled the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the squad's strength made the difference. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who appeared more naturally fitted to the spot that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for Harry Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that set pieces will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, all eyes were on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up behind him and directed the player to acknowledge the English fans. The bond between them is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to grant him the central position remains in doubt.