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For Bellingham to aims to earn his place into the English strongest starting eleven, it would be smart to cut out the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted after noticing that the substitute board was going up following a night of inconsistency in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I don’t want to overstate it but I stand by my words 'conduct is crucial' and respect towards the players who enter the game," Tuchel said. "Choices are taken and you need to comply as a player."

There is a lesson for Bellingham. There was no call for a strop. The captain had only moments earlier made it England 2-0 up in a meaningless qualifier, the game had six minutes to go and the player, who had not played particularly well, received a caution for fouling the Albanian striker. It was not a questionable change. In fact it would have been foolish for the manager to not substitute him given that there was a risk Bellingham would be suspended of the initial fixture of the tournament by receiving a another booking.

Drawing Attention Upon Himself

However, the player turned the spotlight on himself. It was impossible to miss the young midfielder's annoyance as he realized that his replacement was ready for another player. 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 Tuchel was not impressed.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He congratulated Rashford for delivering the cross for Kane to head in his second of the night, but the rest was self-defeating. It's not like arguing was going to change Tuchel’s mind. Tuchel has stressed repeatedly respecting team hierarchies and the value of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, not included in the previous squad, has faced close inspection after returning to the fold this month. In effect he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours through his behavior to being taken off as the national team completed a perfect qualifying campaign by overcoming a tough opposition from the Albanian team.

The Coach's Plan

This implies the jury is out on how the team function at their best when Bellingham plays. The evidence here was not definitive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager early on. He has given the squad organization and direction in recent months, building with a defensive midfielder, a No 8, an attacking midfielder and specialist wingers, but the approach changed in this match. Jarell Quansah was made his England debut, Wharton started for the first time at this level and the role of the defender as a makeshift midfielder meant there was similar look to City's 2023 treble winners.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham had ups and downs. He created an opportunity for his teammate in the latter period but often looked overly eager to shine. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. A pointless clash with a rival player in the early stages. England were ragged after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents came after he lost the ball cheaply. His booking was shown after he was dispossessed to Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Substitutes Decide

Finally England’s depth was decisive. Tuchel threw on the Manchester City player, who appeared more comfortable to the position that Bellingham had played in the opening period, and Saka. Eventually Saka delivered a corner kick for the captain to score the first goal. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks are going to be vital at the World Cup.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of Rashford’s assist for the second goal was somewhat overlooked in the ridiculousness of the substitution incident. At the end, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up from behind and guided the Real Madrid midfielder towards the English fans. The bond between them is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard him at this stage. Yet whether he is willing to grant him centre stage is not guaranteed.