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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place into the English strongest team, he would be wise to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His reaction after noticing that the substitute board was about to come up following a night of mixed performance in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the players who substitute on," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a strop. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team two goals ahead in a dead rubber fixture, with only six minutes remaining and he, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for bringing down Armando Broja. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it might have been reckless for the manager to leave Bellingham on because there was a chance Bellingham would be suspended of the opening game of the World Cup by getting a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that he was going to make way for another player. He threw his arms up and while he exchanged a handshake on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that Tuchel was not impressed.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to head in his second goal, but the rest was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the value of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection since coming back to the team recently. Practically he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to his substitution as the national team wrapped up a flawless qualification run by overcoming a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

This implies opinions are divided on how England function at their best when Bellingham plays. What we saw was not definitive. Some new ideas were tested by the coach in the beginning. He has provided the squad organization and direction lately, building with a No 6, a central midfielder, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel in this match. The young defender was made his England debut, the midfielder made his first start at this level and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder created a similar look to the Manchester club's 2023 treble winners.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His caution came after he was dispossessed to Broja and fouled the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end the bench quality proved crucial. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who appeared more comfortable to the role that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for the captain to open the scoring. It highlighted that dead-ball situations will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the player change. When the match concluded, everyone was watching the midfielder. The coach approached from behind and guided the player in the direction of the travelling England fans. Their connection remains intact. The coach isn't ready to abandon him at this stage. Yet whether he is willing to give him the central position is not guaranteed.