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For Bellingham to wants to earn his place into England’s top squad, it would be smart to eliminate the dramatics. His response after noticing that he was being shown after a match of mixed performance in the match against Albania was not good enough.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'behaviour is key' and respect towards the players who enter the game," stated Tuchel. "Substitutions happen and you need to comply being a professional."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. It was unnecessary for a strop. The captain had only moments earlier made it the national team leading by two in an inconsequential fixture, the game had six minutes to go and Bellingham, who had not played particularly well, had just been booked for a foul on Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a debatable decision. Actually it would have been unwise for the manager to leave Bellingham on considering there was a risk he would rule himself out of the opening game of the World Cup by receiving a another booking.

Drawing Attention to Himself

Yet Bellingham made himself the center of attention. There was no disguising the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that he would be substituted for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and even though he accepted the coach's hand on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that the manager was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle for Bellingham. He praised his teammate for providing the assist for the captain to nod home the team's second, but everything else was self-defeating. It's not like arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly following squad protocols and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

In the Spotlight

He, omitted from last month’s squad, has faced close inspection upon his return to the squad this month. Practically he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours with his response to being taken off as England wrapped up a ideal group stage by defeating a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on how the squad operate most effectively including Bellingham. What we saw was not definitive. Some new ideas were tested from the manager early on. He has given the squad a clear system in recent months, using a No 6, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but it felt different versus Albania. The young defender was given his first cap, Adam Wharton was in the starting lineup for England and the use of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder gave a similar look to City's team that won three trophies.

A Game of Two Halves

His performance was inconsistent. He made a chance for his teammate after the break but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. Several hurried and errant passes. A pointless clash against an opponent early on. England were ragged for much of the second half. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His booking came after an opponent took the ball to Broja and brought down Broja.

Substitutes Decide

In the end the bench quality made the difference. Tuchel introduced the Manchester City player, who appeared better suited to the role that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Saka. Eventually Saka whipped in a corner kick for Kane to score the first goal. It was a reminder that dead-ball situations are going to be vital in the upcoming tournament.

Connection Remains

However, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford's cross for Kane’s header was somewhat overlooked due to the fuss of the Rogers substitution. After the final whistle, everyone was watching the midfielder. Tuchel came over from behind and guided the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the English fans. Their relationship is not damaged. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard him at this stage. But if he is willing to offer him the central position is not guaranteed.