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For Bellingham to wants to fight his way into the English top starting eleven, the smart move to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His response when he saw that his number was going up following a night of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I stick to my words 'behaviour is key' and respect for the squad members who come in," Tuchel said. "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 a strop. The captain had just put England leading by two in a meaningless fixture, the game had six minutes to go and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been unwise for Tuchel to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the first match of the competition by picking up a second caution.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the player's disappointment upon understanding that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and although he accepted the coach's hand after making his way to the bench it was clear that the manager was displeased.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He applauded Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Kane to head in his second goal, but his other actions was self-defeating. It is not as if protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The German has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the value of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

The midfielder, left out of the previous squad, has faced close inspection since coming back to the team recently. Practically his place has been in question and his actions haven't benefited him through his behavior to being taken off as England rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a spirited effort from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

As a result opinions are divided on if the team operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. The performance was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel early on. He has given the team organization and direction lately, employing a No 6, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and dedicated wide players, but it felt different in this match. Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton started for the first time internationally and the use of the defender as a makeshift midfielder created a faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze in the latter period but frequently appeared trying too hard. He made many poorly executed 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 came after he lost the ball cheaply. His caution came after he lost the ball by Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end England’s depth made the difference. Tuchel introduced Foden, who looked more naturally fitted to the spot occupied by Bellingham during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that dead-ball situations are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. At the end, the focus was on the midfielder. The coach approached to his side and directed Bellingham in the direction of the English fans. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard him at this stage. But if Tuchel is inclined to give him the central position is not guaranteed.