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For Bellingham to hopes to fight his way once again into the English top starting eleven, it would be smart to cut out the nonsense. His reaction after noticing that the substitute board was about to come up after an evening of mixed performance in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the teammates who come in," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you need to comply when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for an outburst. Harry Kane had recently scored to make the national team leading by two in a dead rubber fixture, there were six minutes left and Bellingham, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it might have been reckless for the manager to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering there was a risk he would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by getting a second caution.

Drawing Attention on Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and although he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the touchline there was no doubt that the manager was not impressed.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for sending in the ball for the captain to head in the team's second, but his other actions was counterproductive. It is not as if complaining was going to alter the decision. The German has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the value of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the fold recently. Practically he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case with his response to being taken off as the side rounded off a ideal group stage by seeing off a spirited effort from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

This implies the jury is out on how the team operate most effectively including Bellingham. The performance was inconclusive. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel in the beginning. He has provided England structure and clarity in recent months, employing a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed in this match. The young defender was made his England debut, Wharton made his first start internationally and the use of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was faint echo to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for Eze after the break but often looked overly eager to shine. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player at the beginning. The team looked disjointed during most of the second period. One Albania chance resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His booking came after an opponent took the ball by Broja and fouled Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

Finally England’s depth was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared more comfortable to the role in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Saka. Later Saka delivered a set-piece for the captain to open the scoring. It highlighted that set pieces are going to be vital at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

However, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. At the end, everyone was watching him. The coach approached to his side and pushed the player towards the away supporters. Their connection remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard the player just yet. However, whether he is willing to give him the central position is not guaranteed.