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For Bellingham to hopes to earn his place once again into England’s best team, it would be smart to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted upon realizing that he was going up following a night of uneven play in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect for the players who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Substitutions happen and you need to comply as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for an outburst. The captain had recently scored to make the national team two goals ahead in a meaningless qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for a foul on an opponent. This was hardly a debatable decision. In fact it would have been foolish for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on given that there was a chance the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention to Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the player's disappointment when he clocked that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and even though he exchanged a handshake on his way to the touchline it was obvious that the head coach was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He applauded his teammate for providing the assist for the captain to head in his second goal, but his other actions was harmful to his cause. It is not as if protesting was going to reverse the substitution. Tuchel has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

He, left out of last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the squad in the current camp. Practically he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case with his response to his substitution as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a spirited effort from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

This implies it's unclear on whether the team operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. The performance was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested from the manager at the start. Under him, England have gained the team a clear system in recent months, using a holding player, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed versus Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the positioning of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder created a passing resemblance to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He created an opportunity for his teammate in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent at the beginning. The team looked disjointed after halftime. An opportunity for Albania resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card came after an opponent took the ball by Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately England’s depth was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared better suited to the spot occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka delivered a set-piece for Kane to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that set pieces will be crucial next summer.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was a little lost amid the drama of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel came over behind him and guided Bellingham in the direction of the English fans. The bond between them is not broken. Tuchel is not willing to discard the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to grant him a starring role is not guaranteed.