Kane, Bellingham and Foden are unable to operate simultaneously - is Tuchel right?

After achieving six consecutive triumphs out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They can but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we established and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

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

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can retain the ball skillfully, 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 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 number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a central midfielder," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.