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For Bellingham to hopes to force his way into England’s strongest starting eleven, he would be wise to eliminate the nonsense. His reaction after noticing that he was going up following a night of mixed performance in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stand by my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect towards the players who come in," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. Harry Kane had recently scored to make England two goals ahead in a meaningless qualifier, with only six minutes remaining and the player, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. This could scarcely be called a debatable decision. In fact it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible the midfielder would be suspended of the first match of the competition by receiving a second caution.

Drawing Attention to Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the 22-year-old’s disappointment upon understanding that he would be substituted for another player. He threw his arms up and although he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench it was clear that Tuchel was displeased.

Here lies the test that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated his teammate for sending in the ball for Kane to score his second goal, but everything else was counterproductive. It is not as if complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

He, left out of the previous squad, has faced close inspection upon his return to the team recently. In effect he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to coming off the pitch as the side wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result it's unclear on whether the squad perform optimally including Bellingham. The performance was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel in the beginning. He has provided England structure and clarity over the past few matches, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel in this match. The young defender was handed his international debut, Adam Wharton made his first start internationally and the positioning of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was similar look to City's team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England's play was messy during most of the second period. One Albania chance came after Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card occurred when he lost the ball to Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who seemed more comfortable to the role in which Bellingham operated in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka provided a corner for the captain to open the scoring. It highlighted that set pieces will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for Kane's goal was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the substitution incident. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. The coach approached behind him and directed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not broken. The coach isn't ready to abandon Bellingham yet. But if the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage is still uncertain.