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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place once again into the English top team, the smart move to do away with the nonsense. His response when he saw that his number was being shown after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana fell short of expectations.

"I don’t want to overstate it but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the squad members who come in," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you need to comply as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no need for a tantrum. The captain had recently scored to make the Three Lions two goals ahead in a meaningless match, with only six minutes remaining and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for a foul on the Albanian striker. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. In fact it would have been foolish for the manager to leave Bellingham on given that there was a chance he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the competition by receiving a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. No one could overlook the young midfielder's frustration as he realized that he was going to make way for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and while he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the touchline it was obvious that the manager did not appreciate it.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to nod home his second of the night, but everything else was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The German has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of acting professionally.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, not included in the team last month, has been under scrutiny after returning to the fold in the current camp. In effect he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case by reacting to his substitution as England wrapped up a flawless qualification run by overcoming a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

It means the jury is out on whether the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was open to interpretation. There was experimentation from Tuchel at the start. Under him, England have gained the team structure and clarity in recent months, using a holding player, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel in this match. The young defender was handed his international debut, Wharton started for the first time at this level and the positioning of the defender as a part-time midfielder created a similar look to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze during the second half but frequently appeared trying too hard. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent early on. The team looked disjointed during most of the second period. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed to Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the squad's strength proved crucial. The coach brought on Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the role in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka whipped in a corner for Kane to score the first goal. It highlighted that set pieces will play a key role next summer.

Connection Remains

Nevertheless, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, the focus was on him. The coach approached to his side and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their relationship is not damaged. The coach isn't ready to abandon Bellingham yet. But if he is willing to give him a starring role is not guaranteed.