🔗 Share this article

With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

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

"They might but not within this system, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and lost three, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that transforms formation when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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 main forward, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"At Manchester City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.