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Should Bellingham hopes to earn his place back into England’s top team, he would be wise to cut out the nonsense. His response after noticing that he was about to come up following a night of inconsistency in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stick to my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the teammates who enter the game," commented the coach. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it as a player."

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for an outburst. Harry Kane had just put the Three Lions 2-0 up in a dead rubber fixture, there were six minutes left and Bellingham, following an inconsistent display, had just been booked for fouling the Albanian striker. It was not a debatable decision. In fact it would have been foolish for Tuchel to not substitute him because it was possible the midfielder would be suspended of the initial fixture of the competition by receiving a second caution.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. No one could overlook the young midfielder's frustration upon understanding that his replacement was ready for a teammate. His arms went up in exasperation and while he exchanged a handshake on his way to the touchline there was no doubt that Tuchel did not appreciate it.

Here lies the test that Bellingham must overcome. He applauded Rashford for providing the assist for the captain to score his second of the night, but his other actions was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to alter the decision. The coach has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the value of acting professionally.

In the Spotlight

He, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the fold recently. In effect his place has been in question and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to being taken off as the side completed a ideal group stage by overcoming a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on whether England perform optimally including Bellingham. The evidence here was not definitive. There was experimentation from Tuchel early on. Under him, England have gained the squad structure and clarity in recent months, building with a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but the approach changed versus Albania. Jarell Quansah was made his England debut, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the role of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a faint echo to Manchester City’s historic treble-winning side.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate after the break but often looked trying too hard. He made many hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro with an Albania midfielder in the early stages. England's play was messy during most of the second period. One Albania chance resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card was shown after he lost the ball from Broja and fouled the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

Ultimately the bench quality made the difference. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who appeared better suited to the position in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner kick for Harry Kane to break the deadlock. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Still, though, the focus was on Bellingham. The excellence of the winger's delivery for the second goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. At the end, all eyes were on him. The coach approached from behind and directed the player towards the English fans. Their connection is not broken. The coach isn't ready to give up on Bellingham yet. However, whether he is willing to give him the central position remains in doubt.