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Should Bellingham aims to fight his way into the English best starting eleven, he would be wise to eliminate the unnecessary reactions. The way he reacted upon realizing that the substitute board was going up following a night of inconsistency in Tirana was not good enough.

"I don’t want to make more out of it but I stand by my words 'attitude matters' and consideration for the teammates who come in," 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. Harry Kane had recently scored to make the national team 2-0 up in a meaningless qualifier, there were six minutes left and he, following an inconsistent display, received a caution for bringing down the Albanian striker. It was not a debatable decision. Indeed it might have been reckless for Tuchel to keep Bellingham on the pitch because it was possible he would make himself ineligible of the first match of the competition by getting a another booking.

Drawing Attention to Himself

Yet Bellingham drew all eyes toward himself. No one could overlook the 22-year-old’s annoyance as he realized that he was going to make way for a teammate. He flung his arms in the air and even though he shook Tuchel’s hand while heading to the sideline it was obvious that Tuchel was not impressed.

This is the challenge that Bellingham must overcome. He congratulated his teammate for delivering the cross for Harry Kane to score his second of the night, but everything else was self-defeating. It is not as if complaining was going to alter the decision. The German has talked so much about honoring the team structure and the necessity of showing proper conduct.

Under Scrutiny

Bellingham, left out of the team last month, is being watched carefully since coming back to the squad this month. Essentially he has been on trial and he hasn't helped his case through his behavior to his substitution as the side wrapped up a ideal group stage by seeing off a feisty challenge from the Albanian team.

The System and the Setup

As a result it's unclear on if the team perform optimally with Bellingham in the team. What we saw was not definitive. Some new ideas were tested from the manager early on. He has given the squad structure and clarity over the past few matches, employing a No 6, a box-to-box player, a No 10 and specialist wingers, but the approach changed in this match. Jarell Quansah was given his first cap, the midfielder was in the starting lineup internationally and the role of John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder created a faint echo to City's historic treble-winning side.

Mixed Performance

Bellingham had ups and downs. He made a chance for his teammate after the break but frequently appeared too desperate to impress. He made many rushed, misplaced passes. An unnecessary confrontation with an Albania midfielder at the beginning. England were ragged after halftime. A scoring chance for the opponents resulted from he lost the ball cheaply. His caution was shown after an opponent took the ball by Broja and committed a foul on the attacker.

Depth Makes the Difference

Finally the squad's strength was decisive. Tuchel threw on Foden, who appeared more naturally fitted to the position occupied by Bellingham earlier in the match, and Saka. In time Saka delivered a corner for Harry Kane to open the scoring. It highlighted that corners and free-kicks will play a key role in the upcoming tournament.

Relationship Not Broken

Nevertheless, all talk was about Bellingham. The quality of Rashford’s assist for Kane's goal was a little lost amid the drama of the player change. When the match concluded, all eyes were on him. The coach approached behind him and guided the player towards the away supporters. The bond between them is not broken. Tuchel hasn't decided to discard the player just yet. However, whether the coach is prepared to grant him centre stage is not guaranteed.