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If Jude Bellingham hopes to earn his place once again into England’s strongest starting eleven, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted when he saw that the substitute board was being shown after a match of mixed performance in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I’d rather not overstate it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it as a player."

The midfielder must understand. It was unnecessary for a strop. Harry Kane had recently scored to make England leading by two in an inconsequential match, there were six minutes left and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling the Albanian striker. It was not a controversial substitution. Actually it might have been reckless for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on given that it was possible he would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the competition by getting a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's disappointment as he realized that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and while he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the sideline there was no doubt that Tuchel was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He applauded his teammate for providing the assist for Kane to head in his second goal, but his other actions was counterproductive. It is not as if protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has talked so much about following squad protocols and the necessity of acting professionally.

In the Spotlight

The midfielder, not included in the previous squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the team this month. In effect he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours with his response to being taken off as the side wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a tough opposition from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

As a result opinions are divided on whether the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was inconclusive. There was experimentation by the coach early on. Under him, England have gained the squad a clear system in recent months, building with a holding player, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. The young defender was given his first cap, Adam Wharton started for the first time at this level and the use of John Stones as a makeshift midfielder meant there was similar look to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared trying too hard. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. A pointless clash with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. England's play was messy during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball by Broja and brought down the attacker.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the squad's strength made the difference. Tuchel threw on Foden, who appeared more comfortable to the role that Bellingham had played during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner for the captain to score the first goal. It was a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial next summer.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The brilliance 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 Bellingham. Tuchel walked up behind him and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder in the direction of the travelling England fans. The bond between them is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on him at this stage. Yet whether the coach is prepared to offer him the central position remains in doubt.