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If Jude Bellingham hopes to earn his place back into England’s strongest starting eleven, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. His response after noticing that the substitute board was going up after a match of mixed performance in Tirana was not good enough.

"I don’t want to overstate it but I hold to my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the players who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you need to comply being a professional."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for a strop. The captain had just put the Three Lions 2-0 up in a meaningless match, there were six minutes left and the player, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for fouling Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a questionable change. In fact it would have been foolish for Tuchel to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering there was a risk the midfielder would be suspended of the first match of the World Cup by getting a another booking.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

Yet Bellingham made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and while he exchanged a handshake while heading to the bench there was no doubt that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to nod home his second of the night, but everything else was self-defeating. It's not like protesting was going to alter the decision. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the value of acting professionally.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully since coming back to the fold in the current camp. Essentially he was being assessed and he hasn't helped his case with his response to coming off the pitch as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

It means it's unclear on whether England operate most effectively when Bellingham plays. The performance was not definitive. There was experimentation from the manager early on. He has provided the team structure and clarity lately, employing a holding player, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but it felt different against Albania. The young defender was handed his international debut, Wharton started for the first time for England and the use of the defender as a part-time midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to City's 2023 treble winners.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze during the second half but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder early on. England's play was messy after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card was shown after an opponent took the ball by Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

In the end England’s depth made the difference. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who seemed more comfortable to the spot that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka whipped in a set-piece for the captain to open the scoring. It was a reminder that set pieces will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

However, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance of the winger's delivery for the second goal was a little lost amid the drama of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, everyone was watching Bellingham. The coach approached behind him and directed the player in the direction of the English fans. The bond between them is not broken. The coach isn't ready to abandon the player just yet. However, whether the coach is prepared to offer him the central position remains in doubt.