England's star trio can't play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.
Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.
"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.
"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we developed and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."
From certain starters to fighting for spots
England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.
But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
The previous England manager apparently believed they could.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.
Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.
Foden could operate as the number nine, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is one way 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 central midfielder," he said.
Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.
That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the striker.
Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.
