England's star trio struggle to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?
Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.
Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.
"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.
"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."
From automatic picks to contested places
Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
The previous England manager apparently believed they could.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.
In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have won 10, shared points three times and lost three, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.
Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives
Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.
Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.
Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.
Foden could operate as the number nine, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.
"For Man City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.
Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.
That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.
No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.
