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For Bellingham to aims to earn his place into England’s best team, the smart move to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response upon realizing that he was going up after an evening of inconsistency in the match against Albania was not good enough.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the squad members who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you need to comply as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. Kane had recently scored to make the national team 2-0 up in a dead rubber qualifier, there were six minutes left and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling the Albanian striker. This was hardly a questionable change. Indeed it would have been unwise for the head coach to not substitute him considering it was possible he would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Turning the Spotlight on Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the young midfielder's disappointment upon understanding that he would be substituted for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the touchline it was clear that the manager was displeased.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for sending in the ball for the captain to head in his second goal, but the rest was self-defeating. It's not like complaining was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the value of acting professionally.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, omitted from the previous squad, is being watched carefully since coming back to the fold recently. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to coming off the pitch as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by seeing off a feisty challenge from Albania.

The Coach's Plan

This implies opinions are divided on whether the squad operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. Under him, England have gained the squad structure and clarity in recent months, employing a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a playmaker and dedicated wide players, but there was a different feel versus Albania. The young defender was handed his international debut, Wharton was in the starting lineup internationally and the use of the defender as a makeshift midfielder meant there was similar look 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 often looked overly eager to shine. He made many poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. One Albania chance resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. His caution occurred when he lost the ball by Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end England’s depth was decisive. The coach brought on Phil Foden, who appeared better suited to the role occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Saka. Later Saka whipped in a corner kick for the captain to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations are going to be vital at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

However, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was partly forgotten due to the fuss of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, everyone was watching Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and directed the player in the direction of the travelling England fans. Their relationship is not broken. The coach isn't ready to discard him at this stage. Yet whether the coach is prepared to grant him centre stage is still uncertain.