🔗 Share this article

Having secured six victories in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

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

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger 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 started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed alongside each other, England have won 10, drawn three and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.