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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place into the English strongest team, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response upon realizing that he was about to come up after an evening of uneven play in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I hold to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the teammates who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. It was unnecessary for a tantrum. The captain had recently scored to make the national team two goals ahead in an inconsequential fixture, with only six minutes remaining and the player, following an inconsistent display, had just been booked for a foul on an opponent. This was hardly a controversial substitution. Indeed it might have been reckless for the head coach to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a second yellow card.

Turning the Spotlight to Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s disappointment when he clocked that his replacement was ready for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and while he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the sideline it was clear that Tuchel did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He congratulated his teammate for delivering the cross for Kane to score his second of the night, but everything else was harmful to his cause. It's not like protesting was going to alter the decision. The German has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the team recently. Practically he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to his substitution as the national team wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a tough opposition from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

This implies it's unclear on how the squad perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach in the beginning. He has given the team structure and clarity in recent months, using a holding player, a central midfielder, a No 10 and out-and-out wingers, but there was a different feel versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder made his first start for England and the use of John Stones as a makeshift midfielder created a passing resemblance to City's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He created an opportunity for Eze after the break but at times seemed overly eager to shine. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. A pointless clash with a rival player early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents came after Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking occurred when he was dispossessed to Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the bench quality was decisive. The coach brought on Foden, who appeared more comfortable to the position occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka whipped in a set-piece for Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel walked up from behind and pushed Bellingham to acknowledge the English fans. Their relationship remains intact. The coach isn't ready to discard him at this stage. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him a starring role remains in doubt.