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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place into England’s top team, he would be wise to do away with the dramatics. His response upon realizing that the substitute board was about to come up following a night of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the players who enter the game," commented the coach. "Decisions are made and you need to comply as a player."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a strop. The captain had just put England two goals ahead in a meaningless fixture, with only six minutes remaining and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for a foul on an opponent. This could scarcely be called a questionable change. In fact it would have been unwise for the manager to not substitute him given that it was possible he would rule himself out of the first match of the competition by getting a another booking.

Turning the Spotlight to Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's disappointment when he clocked that he would be substituted for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and even though he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the sideline there was no doubt that Tuchel was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Rashford for delivering the cross for Kane to nod home the team's second, but everything else was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to alter the decision. The coach has talked so much about following squad protocols and the value of behaving correctly.

In the Spotlight

He, left out of the team last month, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the squad in the current camp. In effect he has been on trial and his actions haven't benefited him through his behavior to being taken off as the national team rounded off a ideal group stage by defeating a tough opposition from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

As a result opinions are divided on whether the team perform optimally including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach in the beginning. He has given the team structure and clarity lately, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Wharton started for the first time internationally and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder gave a faint echo to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He created an opportunity for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but at times seemed too desperate to impress. Several hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England were ragged after halftime. One Albania chance came after Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card was shown after an opponent took the ball by Broja and brought down the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end the bench quality made the difference. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who looked better suited to the role that Bellingham had played during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner kick for the captain to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. The coach approached behind him and directed Bellingham towards the away supporters. Their connection remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on the player just yet. However, whether the coach is prepared to grant him centre stage is not guaranteed.