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If Jude Bellingham aims to earn his place once again into the English top starting eleven, he would be wise to do away with the unnecessary reactions. His response after noticing that he was being shown after a match of uneven play in Tirana was not good enough.

"I’d rather not overstate it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and respect for the teammates who come in," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you must accept them when you're on the field."

The midfielder must understand. There was no need for a tantrum. Kane had just put England two goals ahead in a meaningless fixture, the game had six minutes to go and he, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for bringing down an opponent. This was hardly a questionable change. In fact it would have been foolish for the head coach to keep Bellingham on the pitch considering it was possible Bellingham would make himself ineligible of the initial fixture of the World Cup by picking up a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention on Himself

But Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. It was impossible to miss the player's disappointment upon understanding that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He flung his arms in the air and although he exchanged a handshake after making his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was displeased.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Kane to nod home the team's second, but everything else was self-defeating. There was no chance arguing was going to alter the decision. The German has talked so much about following squad protocols and the importance of behaving correctly.

In the Spotlight

He, left out of last month’s squad, is being watched carefully after returning to the squad this month. Practically 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 perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a spirited effort from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result opinions are divided on if England operate most effectively including Bellingham. The evidence here was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel in the beginning. He has given England structure and clarity over the past few matches, building with a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and out-and-out wingers, but it felt different in this match. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the role of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a faint echo to the Manchester club's historic treble-winning side.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He set up a shot for Eberechi Eze during the second half but at times seemed too desperate to impress. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. A pointless clash against an opponent at the beginning. England were ragged during most of the second period. An opportunity for Albania followed Bellingham gave the ball away. The yellow card occurred when he was dispossessed by Broja and fouled the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally England’s depth proved crucial. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who seemed more comfortable to the position occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka provided a corner kick for the captain to break the deadlock. It was a reminder that set pieces are going to be vital at the World Cup.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The excellence of the winger's delivery for the second goal was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, all eyes were on the midfielder. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided Bellingham in the direction of the away supporters. Their connection is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to abandon the player just yet. Yet whether he is willing to offer him the central position remains in doubt.