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Should Bellingham aims to earn his place once again into the English strongest starting eleven, he would be wise to eliminate the dramatics. His response after noticing that the substitute board was about to come up after an evening of mixed performance in the match against Albania was not good enough.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the players who substitute on," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you need to comply being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for an outburst. The captain had recently scored to make the Three Lions two goals ahead in a meaningless match, with only six minutes remaining and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for fouling an opponent. It was not a debatable decision. Indeed it might have been reckless for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's annoyance when he clocked that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and although he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the bench it was clear that the manager was not impressed.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He congratulated Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to head in his second of the night, but his other actions was counterproductive. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the value of behaving correctly.

Facing Examination

He, omitted from last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the fold this month. Practically his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case by reacting to coming off the pitch as the side completed a ideal group stage by overcoming a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

It means it's unclear on if the squad operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. The performance was inconclusive. Some new ideas were tested from the manager in the beginning. He has provided the team a clear system over the past few matches, using a holding player, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel against Albania. The young defender was handed his international debut, Wharton was in the starting lineup at this level and the use of Stones as a part-time midfielder meant there was similar look to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eze during the second half but frequently appeared trying too hard. He made many hurried and errant passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder early on. The team looked disjointed after halftime. An opportunity for Albania followed he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after he lost the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Ultimately the bench quality made the difference. Tuchel introduced Foden, who looked better suited to the position in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner kick for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

However, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was partly forgotten due to the fuss of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, the focus was on the midfielder. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided Bellingham to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their connection is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon Bellingham yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him a starring role is still uncertain.