🔗 Share this article

With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"They can but not within this system, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

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 primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

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