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If Jude Bellingham wants to earn his place once again into England’s best starting eleven, he would be wise to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. His response when he saw that the substitute board was being shown following a night of inconsistency in the match against Albania fell short of expectations.

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

The midfielder must understand. There was no call for a tantrum. The captain had recently scored to make the Three Lions 2-0 up in an inconsequential match, with only six minutes remaining and he, who had not played particularly well, had just been booked for a foul on Armando Broja. This could scarcely be called a questionable change. In fact it would have been foolish for the head coach to leave Bellingham on considering it was possible he would rule himself out of the initial fixture of the tournament by getting a second yellow card.

Drawing Attention to Himself

But Bellingham turned the spotlight on himself. There was no disguising the player's annoyance upon understanding that he was going to make way for Morgan Rogers. He threw his arms up and although he exchanged a handshake on his way to the bench it was obvious that the head coach was not impressed.

This represents the hurdle facing Bellingham. He praised Rashford for delivering the cross for the captain to score the team's second, but his other actions was counterproductive. It is not as if arguing was going to reverse the substitution. Tuchel has talked so much about following squad protocols and the value of showing proper conduct.

Facing Examination

The midfielder, left out of the previous squad, has been under scrutiny upon his return to the fold recently. In effect he was being assessed and he has not done himself any favours with his response to his substitution as England completed a ideal group stage by defeating a spirited effort from their opponents.

The System and the Setup

This implies it's unclear on whether the team perform optimally when Bellingham plays. The performance was open to interpretation. There was experimentation by the coach at the start. He has given England structure and clarity lately, building with a holding player, a box-to-box player, an attacking midfielder and out-and-out wingers, but the approach changed against Albania. The young defender was made his England debut, Adam Wharton made his first start for England and the use of Stones as a part-time midfielder meant there was passing resemblance to Manchester City’s team that won three trophies.

Inconsistent Display

Bellingham was a mixed bag. He created an opportunity for his teammate after the break but at times seemed trying too hard. There were a lot of hurried and errant passes. There was a needless bit of aggro against an opponent early on. The team looked disjointed after halftime. An opportunity for Albania followed Bellingham gave the ball away. His booking came after an opponent took the ball from Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Squad Strength Shows

Ultimately the squad's strength made the difference. The coach brought on the Manchester City player, who appeared more comfortable to the spot occupied by Bellingham in the opening period, and Bukayo Saka. In time Saka provided a corner kick for Kane to break the deadlock. This served as a reminder that corners and free-kicks will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Connection Remains

Still, though, Bellingham was the story. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane's goal was a little lost in the ridiculousness of the Rogers substitution. When the match concluded, all eyes were on him. The coach approached from behind and guided Bellingham towards the English fans. Their relationship is not broken. The coach isn't ready to abandon him at this stage. Yet whether the coach is prepared to offer him a starring role is still uncertain.