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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place into England’s best squad, he would be wise to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response upon realizing that the substitute board was being shown after an evening of uneven play in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'conduct is crucial' and consideration for the teammates who enter the game," commented the coach. "Choices are taken and you need to comply when you're on the field."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for an outburst. The captain had just put the national team two goals ahead in an inconsequential match, there were six minutes left and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, received a caution for bringing down an opponent. It was not a controversial substitution. In fact it might have been reckless for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on given that there was a chance he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on 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 although he exchanged a handshake while heading to the sideline it was obvious that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge facing Bellingham. He praised his teammate for sending in the ball for the captain to head in the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. It is not as if protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The coach has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

He, omitted from the previous squad, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the team in the current camp. Practically he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to being taken off as England completed a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a spirited effort from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

As a result the jury is out on whether England operate most effectively when Bellingham plays. What we saw was not definitive. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel early on. He has given the team a clear system over the past few matches, using a No 6, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and out-and-out 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 gave a similar look to City's team that won three trophies.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He made a chance for Eze in the latter period but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent at the beginning. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. An opportunity for Albania resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution occurred when an opponent took the ball from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

In the end the bench quality was decisive. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the role in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka delivered a corner kick for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that set pieces are going to be vital at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was partly forgotten due to the fuss of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, the focus was on him. Tuchel walked up from behind and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their connection is not damaged. The coach isn't ready to discard Bellingham yet. Yet whether he is willing to give him centre stage is still uncertain.