🔗 Share this article

Having secured six victories in six games, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every 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 simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, 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 enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.