🔗 Share this article

With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, 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 - are unable to feature in the same team.

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

"They might but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not within the framework 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

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

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

In the 16 matches the trio have played together, England have won 10, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon 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.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could operate as the central striker, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel suggested it this week.

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

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.