England's star trio struggle to play together - does the manager have a point?
Having secured six victories in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.
Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated 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 maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.
"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."
From certain starters to fighting for spots
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
The previous England manager certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the trio have played simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.
Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions
Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.
Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.
In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to support offensive play.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could play as the number nine, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"For Man City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.
Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.
That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.
This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the striker.
No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.
