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Should Bellingham aims to earn his place into the English best team, the smart move to eliminate the nonsense. His reaction after noticing that the substitute board was being shown following a night of uneven play in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not overstate it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the players who come in," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you must accept them when you're on the field."

The midfielder must understand. There was no need for a tantrum. The captain had only moments earlier made it England 2-0 up in an inconsequential match, with only six minutes remaining and the player, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for bringing down Armando Broja. This was hardly a debatable decision. Actually it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on given that there was a risk the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the World Cup by getting a another booking.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s frustration when he clocked that his replacement was ready for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and while he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the sideline it was obvious that the manager did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He praised Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to head in his second of the night, but his other actions was harmful to his cause. There was no chance arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has talked so much about honoring the team structure and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, omitted from the team last month, has faced close inspection since coming back to the squad this month. In effect his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case with his response to being taken off as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

This implies opinions are divided on whether the team perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from Tuchel in the beginning. He has given the team a clear system in recent months, employing a defensive midfielder, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, Wharton made his first start at this level and the positioning of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder gave a faint echo to Manchester City’s 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but at times seemed too desperate to impress. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. An unnecessary confrontation against an opponent in the early stages. England's play was messy for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball to Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

Finally the squad's strength proved crucial. Tuchel introduced Foden, who looked better suited to the spot that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka provided a corner for Kane to score the first goal. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial next summer.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. The coach approached to his side and guided the Real Madrid midfielder towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not damaged. Tuchel is not willing to abandon him at this stage. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him a starring role is not guaranteed.