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If Jude Bellingham wants to fight his way back into the English strongest squad, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. The way he reacted upon realizing that his number was about to come up after an evening of inconsistency in Tirana was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not blow it out of proportion but I hold to my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect for the players who substitute on," commented the coach. "Choices are taken and you must accept them being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a strop. The captain had just put England 2-0 up in a dead rubber fixture, with only six minutes remaining and the player, who had not played particularly well, was just shown a yellow for a foul on an opponent. This could scarcely be called a controversial substitution. Actually it would have been unwise for the head coach to not substitute him considering there was a chance he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the competition by picking up a second caution.

Turning the Spotlight Upon Himself

But Bellingham made himself the center of attention. It was impossible to miss the 22-year-old’s disappointment when he clocked that he would be substituted for another player. He flung his arms in the air and even though he accepted the coach's hand while heading to the sideline it was obvious that the head coach was not impressed.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He praised his teammate for providing the assist for Harry Kane to head in the team's second, but the rest was counterproductive. There was no chance arguing was going to reverse the substitution. The German has talked so much about respecting team hierarchies and the value of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

Bellingham, left out of last month’s squad, has faced close inspection since coming back to the team 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 completed a ideal group stage by overcoming a feisty challenge from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

As a result the jury is out on whether England perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The performance was inconclusive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager early on. He has provided England structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a No 6, a central midfielder, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. The young defender was given his first cap, the midfielder made his first start internationally and the use of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder meant there was faint echo to Manchester City’s 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He set up a shot for Eze in the latter period but at times seemed overly eager to shine. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. A pointless clash with a rival player in the early stages. The team looked disjointed for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His caution was shown after he was dispossessed from Broja and committed a foul on the former Chelsea striker.

Substitutes Decide

Ultimately England’s depth was decisive. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who looked more naturally fitted to the position that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner kick for the captain to open the scoring. It was a reminder that corners and free-kicks will be crucial at the World Cup.

Connection Remains

Still, though, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford's cross for the second goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, the focus was on him. Tuchel walked up behind him and pushed Bellingham towards the away supporters. Their relationship is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to give up on him at this stage. But if the coach is prepared to offer him a starring role remains in doubt.