🔗 Share this article

With six wins from six matches, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank 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 the European Championship in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured simultaneously, England have won 10, tied three matches and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

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.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

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

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas 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 center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.