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Should Bellingham aims to fight his way back into England’s best starting eleven, he would be wise to cut out the dramatics. The way he reacted after noticing that the substitute board was being shown following a night of uneven play in the match against Albania was unacceptable.

"I’d rather not make more out of it but I hold to my words 'behaviour is key' and consideration for the players who come in," commented the coach. "Substitutions happen and you have to accept it as a player."

Bellingham has to learn. It was unnecessary for an outburst. The captain had just put the national team 2-0 up in a meaningless match, the game had six minutes to go and the player, after a below-par performance, was just shown a yellow for bringing down an opponent. This could scarcely be called a debatable decision. In fact it might have been reckless for the head coach to not substitute him considering there was a risk the midfielder would rule himself out of the opening game of the World Cup by picking up a second caution.

Drawing Attention to Himself

Yet Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the young midfielder's annoyance upon understanding that his replacement was ready for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and although he exchanged a handshake on his way to the sideline there was no doubt that Tuchel did not appreciate it.

Here lies the test facing Bellingham. He congratulated Marcus Rashford for providing the assist for Harry Kane to nod home the team's second, but everything else was self-defeating. It is not as if protesting was going to alter the decision. The German has repeatedly emphasized honoring the team structure and the value of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

He, not included in the previous squad, is being watched carefully upon his return to the fold recently. In effect his place has been in question and he hasn't helped his case with his response to his substitution as the national team rounded off a flawless qualification run by overcoming a tough opposition from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

It means the jury is out on if the squad perform optimally when Bellingham plays. What we saw was inconclusive. Tuchel tried new things from the manager in the beginning. Under him, England have gained the squad organization and direction over the past few matches, building with a No 6, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and dedicated wide players, but the approach changed in this match. Quansah was handed his international debut, the midfielder started for the first time for England and the role of the defender as an auxiliary midfielder gave a faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

His performance was inconsistent. He set up a shot for his teammate in the latter period but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. There were a lot of rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with a rival player at the beginning. England's play was messy after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from Bellingham squandered possession. The yellow card occurred when an opponent took the ball to Broja and brought down Broja.

Substitutes Decide

Finally the bench quality proved crucial. Tuchel threw on Phil Foden, who appeared more comfortable to the position occupied by Bellingham during the first half, and Bukayo Saka. Later Saka whipped in a corner kick for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that set pieces will play a key role at the World Cup.

Bridge Still Stands

Nevertheless, Bellingham was the story. The excellence of the winger's delivery for Kane's goal was somewhat overlooked amid the drama of the substitution incident. When the match concluded, the focus was on Bellingham. Tuchel walked up to his side and pushed the Real Madrid midfielder to acknowledge the away supporters. Their relationship is not damaged. Tuchel is not willing to discard Bellingham yet. However, whether Tuchel is inclined to offer him a starring role is not guaranteed.