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Should Bellingham wants to earn his place back into the English strongest team, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response after noticing that his number was going up after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"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," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. It was unnecessary for a tantrum. The captain had just put England 2-0 up in an inconsequential fixture, there were six minutes left and he, after a below-par performance, had just been booked for bringing down an opponent. It was not a debatable decision. Actually it might have been reckless for the manager to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering it was possible Bellingham would rule himself out of the first match of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the player's frustration as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. His arms went up in exasperation and while he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the touchline it was clear that Tuchel was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to head in the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. It's not like protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the importance of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, left out of the previous squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the team recently. Practically he has been on trial and his actions haven't benefited him with his response to his substitution as England rounded off a ideal group stage by seeing off a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

As a result it's unclear on how England perform optimally including Bellingham. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. He has provided England organization and direction in recent months, building with a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but it felt different against Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, Wharton was in the starting lineup at this level and the use of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze during the second half but at times seemed trying too hard. Several poorly executed passes. A pointless clash with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution was shown after he lost the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the bench quality was decisive. The coach brought on Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the position in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Saka. Later Saka delivered a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial next summer.

Connection Remains

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for the second goal was a little lost amid the drama of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, everyone was watching the midfielder. The coach approached behind him and guided the Real Madrid midfielder towards the away supporters. Their relationship remains intact. Tuchel is not willing to abandon the player just yet. But if the coach is prepared to give him centre stage is still uncertain.