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For Bellingham to hopes to fight his way into England’s strongest squad, it would be smart to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His reaction upon realizing that his number was going up after a match of inconsistency in Tirana was not good enough.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stand by my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the players who come in," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you need to comply when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no need for a strop. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it the national team 2-0 up in a meaningless qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and Bellingham, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for bringing down an opponent. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Turning the Spotlight to Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the player's frustration as he realized that he would be substituted for another player. He threw his arms up and even though he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the sideline it was obvious that Tuchel was not impressed.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to score his second goal, but the rest was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the importance of behaving correctly.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, left out of last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the fold recently. Practically he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to being taken off as the national team rounded off a flawless qualification run by seeing off a tough opposition from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

This implies it's unclear on how the team operate most effectively including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel early on. He has provided the squad structure and clarity in recent months, building with a defensive midfielder, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but it felt different in this match. Jarell Quansah was handed his international debut, Adam Wharton started for the first time at this level and the positioning of John Stones as a part-time midfielder gave a passing resemblance to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He made a chance for Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared trying too hard. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent early on. England's play was messy for much of the second half. One Albania chance followed Bellingham squandered possession. His caution occurred when he was dispossessed by Broja and brought down the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

In the end the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who seemed better suited to the role that Bellingham had played during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner kick for the captain to open the scoring. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will be crucial at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

However, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was a little lost amid the drama of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, everyone was watching him. Tuchel came over behind him and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder towards the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not broken. The coach isn't ready to abandon him at this stage. However, whether the coach is prepared to offer him centre stage is still uncertain.