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For Bellingham to aims to force his way back into the English best starting eleven, it would be smart to do away with the dramatics. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was going up after a match of mixed performance in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the squad members who substitute on," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you must accept them when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a tantrum. Kane had just put England leading by two in a dead rubber match, the game had six minutes to go and he, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a debatable decision. Indeed it would have been foolish for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a chance he would make himself ineligible of the opening game of the competition by receiving a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that he would be substituted for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and even though he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the touchline it was clear that the manager did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to head in his second goal, but the rest was self-defeating. It's not like arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The German has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the value of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, omitted from last month’s squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the fold in the current camp. Practically he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to his substitution as the side rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result the jury is out on if England perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach early on. He has provided England structure and clarity in recent months, using a No 6, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but it felt different versus Albania. Jarell Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder gave a faint echo to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

His performance was inconsistent. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. Several hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent in the early stages. England's play was messy for much of the second half. One Albania chance came after Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card occurred when he was dispossessed from Broja and committed a foul on Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

Finally the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on Foden, who seemed more comfortable to the role occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner kick for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

However, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on him. Tuchel walked up to his side and directed Bellingham towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard Bellingham yet. However, whether the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage remains in doubt.