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If Jude Bellingham wants to fight his way back into England’s top starting eleven, he would be wise to cut out the dramatics. His response after noticing that the substitute board was about to come up after an evening of inconsistency in the match against Albania was not good enough.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the players who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a strop. Kane had just put the national team 2-0 up in a meaningless fixture, with only six minutes remaining and Bellingham, who had not played particularly well, had just been booked for a foul on Armando Broja. This was hardly a questionable change. In fact it might have been reckless for the manager to leave Bellingham on given that it was possible the midfielder would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the competition by getting a second caution.

Shifting Focus Upon Himself

However, the player made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising 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 although he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the sideline it was clear that the manager was not impressed.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He praised his teammate for delivering the cross for the captain to score the team's second, but the rest was harmful to his cause. There was no chance protesting was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about honoring the team structure and the importance of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

He, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully after returning to the team in the current camp. Essentially he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to his substitution as the side rounded off a perfect qualifying campaign by defeating a tough opposition from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

As a result opinions are divided on if the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach in the beginning. He has provided the squad structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but it felt different against Albania. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup internationally and the positioning of the defender as a makeshift midfielder created a faint echo to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but at times seemed too desperate to impress. He made many hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. The team looked disjointed after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents came after Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball by Broja and brought down the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the squad's strength proved crucial. Tuchel introduced the Manchester City player, who appeared more naturally fitted to the position that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka delivered a corner for Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that corners and free-kicks will play a key role next summer.

Connection Remains

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The brilliance of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. At the end, all eyes were on Bellingham. The coach approached from behind and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder in the direction of the away supporters. Their connection remains intact. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to offer him centre stage remains in doubt.