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If Jude Bellingham wants to fight his way into England’s top squad, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. The way he reacted upon realizing that the substitute board was about to come up after an evening of mixed performance in Tirana was not good enough.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the squad members who substitute on," stated Tuchel. "Choices are taken and you need to comply being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a strop. Kane had recently scored to make England 2-0 up in a dead rubber match, with only six minutes remaining and he, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down an opponent. This was hardly a controversial substitution. Actually it would have been foolish for the manager to not substitute him given that it was possible he would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the tournament by getting a second yellow card.

Turning the Spotlight Upon Himself

However, the player turned the spotlight on himself. It was impossible to miss the 22-year-old’s frustration as he realized that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and although he shook Tuchel’s hand after making his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle that Bellingham must overcome. He praised Marcus Rashford for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to score his second of the night, but the rest was harmful to his cause. It's not like protesting was going to alter the decision. The German has repeatedly emphasized respecting team hierarchies and the necessity of behaving correctly.

In the Spotlight

Bellingham, omitted from last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the squad recently. Essentially his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to coming off the pitch as the side rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The Coach's Plan

As a result the jury is out on how the team operate most effectively with Bellingham in the team. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things by the coach at the start. Under him, England have gained the squad a clear system lately, using a defensive midfielder, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton made his first start at this level and the role of the defender as a part-time midfielder created a faint echo to Manchester City’s 2023 treble winners.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. Several hurried and errant passes. A pointless clash against an opponent early on. England were ragged after halftime. One Albania chance resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. The yellow card was shown after he lost the ball by Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who looked better suited to the position in which Bellingham operated during the first half, and the Arsenal winger. In time Saka whipped in a corner for Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will be crucial in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

However, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up behind him and directed Bellingham in the direction of the away supporters. Their connection is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard him at this stage. However, whether he is willing to give him a starring role remains in doubt.