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If Jude Bellingham wants to fight his way back into the English strongest squad, the smart move to do away with the nonsense. The way he reacted after noticing that he was going up following a night of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I prefer not to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Decisions are made and you must accept them being a professional."

Bellingham has to learn. There was no call for a tantrum. Harry Kane had just put the national team leading by two in an inconsequential qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and the player, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a debatable decision. In fact it would have been unwise for the head coach to leave Bellingham on because it was possible he would be suspended of the first match of the World Cup by picking up a second caution.

Shifting Focus to Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the player's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. His arms went up in exasperation and while he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the touchline it was clear that Tuchel was not impressed.

This is the challenge for Bellingham. He applauded Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for the captain to head in the team's second, but the rest was self-defeating. There was no chance protesting was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the value of behaving correctly.

In the Spotlight

The midfielder, left out of the team last month, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the fold recently. Essentially his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case by reacting to being taken off as the national team rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a spirited effort from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

As a result the jury is out on how England perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was inconclusive. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. He has provided the squad structure and clarity lately, using a No 6, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but there was a different feel versus Albania. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder made his first start at this level and the positioning of Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but frequently appeared overly eager to shine. Several poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player in the early stages. The team looked disjointed during most of the second period. One Albania chance resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His booking came after an opponent took the ball by Broja and brought down Broja.

Squad Strength Shows

In the end England’s depth made the difference. Tuchel introduced Phil Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the role in which Bellingham operated earlier in the match, and the Arsenal winger. Later Saka provided a corner kick for Kane to open the scoring. It was a reminder that set pieces will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for Kane’s header was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel came over to his side and guided the player to acknowledge the travelling England fans. Their connection remains intact. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on the player just yet. However, whether the coach is prepared to give him the central position remains in doubt.