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If Jude Bellingham wants to force his way into the English strongest starting eleven, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response when he saw that he was being shown following a night of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to overstate it but I hold to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the players who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for a strop. The captain had recently scored to make England two goals ahead in a dead rubber qualifier, there were six minutes left and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling an opponent. It was not a questionable change. In fact it might have been reckless for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk Bellingham would rule himself out of the first match of the tournament by picking up a second yellow card.

Shifting Focus on Himself

Yet Bellingham made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and while he exchanged a handshake on his way to the touchline it was clear that the manager was displeased.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to score his second goal, but the rest was self-defeating. There was no chance complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

He, left out of the previous squad, has been under scrutiny after returning to the team this month. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours with his response to coming off the pitch as the side rounded off a flawless qualification run by defeating a tough opposition from Albania.

Tactics and Formation

This implies opinions are divided on whether the team perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was inconclusive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager early on. He has given the squad organization and direction over the past few matches, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but it felt different versus Albania. Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder started for the first time for England and the positioning of Stones as a makeshift midfielder created a faint echo to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for Eberechi Eze during the second half but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. Several rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder early on. The team looked disjointed after halftime. An opportunity for Albania resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking came after he lost the ball from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the bench quality made the difference. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the position that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for Kane to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

However, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was partly forgotten due to the fuss of the player change. After the final whistle, everyone was watching the midfielder. Tuchel came over to his side and directed the player to acknowledge the English fans. The bond between them remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard Bellingham yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to grant him centre stage is still uncertain.