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If Jude Bellingham aims to fight his way back into England’s best squad, it would be smart to cut out the dramatics. His response after noticing that the substitute board was being shown after a match of uneven play in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the squad members who enter the game," commented the coach. "Decisions are made and you need to comply as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for a tantrum. The captain had just put the national team 2-0 up in an inconsequential match, the game had six minutes to go and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it might have been reckless for Tuchel to keep Bellingham on the pitch because there was a risk he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the competition by picking up a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention to Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's disappointment when he clocked that his replacement was ready for another player. He threw his arms up and even though he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded Rashford for delivering the cross for Kane to nod home the team's second, but his other actions was counterproductive. It's not like protesting was going to alter the decision. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the importance of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

The midfielder, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully upon his return to the team recently. In effect his place has been in question and his actions haven't benefited him with his response to coming off the pitch as England rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a tough opposition from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

This implies it's unclear on if the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. What we saw was open to interpretation. Some new ideas were tested from the manager in the beginning. He has provided the squad organization and direction lately, building with a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and out-and-out wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton made his first start internationally and the use of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder gave a faint echo to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. He made many poorly executed passes. A pointless clash with a rival player early on. England were ragged after halftime. One Albania chance resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution was shown after he was dispossessed from Broja and committed a foul on Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end the bench quality made the difference. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who seemed better suited to the role that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and the Arsenal winger. Eventually Saka delivered a corner for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for the second goal was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the player change. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel walked up behind him and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder towards the English fans. Their relationship is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon the player just yet. But if he is willing to grant him the central position is still uncertain.