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If Jude Bellingham hopes to fight his way into the English top starting eleven, it would be smart to eliminate the nonsense. His reaction when he saw that he was going up following a night of inconsistency in the match against Albania was not good enough.

"I don’t want to blow it out of proportion but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and respect towards the players who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you have to accept it being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no need for a strop. Harry Kane had recently scored to make the Three Lions 2-0 up in a dead rubber match, the game had six minutes to go and Bellingham, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for fouling Armando Broja. It was not a debatable decision. Actually it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible the midfielder would make himself ineligible of the first match of the World Cup by getting a second caution.

Drawing Attention on Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. No one could overlook the young midfielder's frustration when he clocked that he would be substituted for a teammate. He threw his arms up and even though he exchanged a handshake on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was not impressed.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He congratulated Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to score the team's second, but everything else was self-defeating. There was no chance arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. The coach has stressed repeatedly honoring the team structure and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

The midfielder, omitted from last month’s squad, has been under scrutiny since coming back to the team this month. In effect he has been on trial and he has not done himself any favours by reacting to his substitution as the national team wrapped up a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a spirited effort from their opponents.

Tactics and Formation

As a result the jury is out on how England perform optimally including Bellingham. What we saw was open to interpretation. Tuchel tried new things from Tuchel in the beginning. He has provided England organization and direction over the past few matches, using a No 6, a No 8, a playmaker and specialist wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, Adam Wharton made his first start internationally and the use of Stones as a part-time midfielder created a similar look to Manchester City’s 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for Eberechi Eze after the break but often looked too desperate to impress. There were a lot of poorly executed passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player early on. England's play was messy after halftime. One Albania chance resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. His caution occurred when he lost the ball from Broja and brought down the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

In the end the bench quality proved crucial. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared more comfortable to the position that Bellingham had played earlier in the match, and Saka. Later Saka whipped in a corner for the captain to open the scoring. This served as a reminder that dead-ball situations will be crucial next summer.

Connection Remains

However, the focus was on Bellingham. The excellence of Rashford's cross for Kane's goal was partly forgotten in the ridiculousness of the player change. When the match concluded, everyone was watching the midfielder. Tuchel walked up behind him and guided the player in the direction of the travelling England fans. Their connection remains intact. The coach isn't ready to discard the player just yet. Yet whether Tuchel is inclined to give him centre stage is still uncertain.