🔗 Share this article

After achieving six consecutive triumphs in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ 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 the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

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

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have won 10, tied three matches and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings 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 one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.