🔗 Share this article

With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the central striker, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we view him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.