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For Bellingham to wants to force his way into the English strongest team, the smart move to do away with the nonsense. The way he reacted when he saw that he was about to come up following a night of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. It was unnecessary for a strop. The captain had just put the Three Lions 2-0 up in an inconsequential qualifier, there were six minutes left and the player, after a below-par performance, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. This was hardly a debatable decision. In fact it would have been unwise for the head coach to leave Bellingham on given that there was a chance he would rule himself out of the first match of the tournament by picking up a second caution.

Shifting Focus on Himself

However, the player drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s frustration when he clocked that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and even though he exchanged a handshake while heading to the touchline it was clear that Tuchel was displeased.

Here lies the test for Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for Kane to head in his second goal, but everything else was harmful to his cause. It's not like complaining was going to alter the decision. The German has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the importance of behaving correctly.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, omitted from the previous squad, has faced close inspection since coming back to the squad in the current camp. Practically his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case by reacting to coming off the pitch as England rounded off a ideal group stage by defeating a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

Tactics and Formation

As a result it's unclear on whether the team perform optimally when Bellingham plays. What we saw was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from the manager early on. He has provided the team structure and clarity in recent months, employing a No 6, a central midfielder, a playmaker and specialist wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton made his first start internationally and the positioning of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was similar look to City's 2023 treble winners.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but often looked trying too hard. He made many hurried and errant passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder early on. England's play was messy during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. His caution was shown after he lost the ball by Broja and fouled Broja.

Substitutes Decide

Ultimately the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who looked better suited to the position in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for the captain to open the scoring. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. The coach approached to his side and guided the player to acknowledge the away supporters. Their connection is not broken. The coach isn't ready to give up on him at this stage. But if Tuchel is inclined to give him the central position is not guaranteed.