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If Jude Bellingham aims to force his way into England’s strongest team, the smart move to cut out the dramatics. His reaction upon realizing that the substitute board was being shown following a night of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the squad members who come in," Tuchel said. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it when you're on the field."

The midfielder must understand. It was unnecessary for a tantrum. Harry Kane had only moments earlier made it England leading by two in a meaningless fixture, with only six minutes remaining and the player, after a below-par performance, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a questionable change. Indeed it might have been reckless for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the first match of the tournament by picking up a another booking.

Drawing Attention on Himself

However, the player turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the 22-year-old’s annoyance as he realized that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. His arms went up in exasperation and even though he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the touchline there was no doubt that the head coach did not appreciate it.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to score the team's second, but the rest was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The German has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the squad recently. Practically his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case with his response to his substitution as the national team completed a ideal group stage by seeing off a tough opposition from Albania.

The System and the Setup

It means opinions are divided on if the team perform optimally when Bellingham plays. What we saw was not definitive. Some new ideas were tested from Tuchel at the start. He has given the team organization and direction in recent months, using a holding player, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but it felt different against Albania. The young defender was handed his international debut, Wharton made his first start internationally and the use of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for his teammate after the break but often looked too desperate to impress. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with a rival player early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card was shown after he was dispossessed by Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately England’s depth was decisive. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who seemed more comfortable to the spot that Bellingham had played during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, the focus was on Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was a little lost amid the drama of the substitution incident. After the final whistle, all eyes were on Bellingham. Tuchel came over behind him and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel is not willing to abandon Bellingham yet. But if the coach is prepared to give him the central position remains in doubt.