🔗 Share this article

With six wins in six games, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"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 developed and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that transforms formation when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.