Three Lions' top talents are unable to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins in six games, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.
"Presently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.
"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."
From automatic picks to contested places
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.
So 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 matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.
Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives
Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.
The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.
Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.
Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.
Foden could feature as the number nine, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.
There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"With his club, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a number eight," he said.
Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.
That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.
Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.
