Kane, Bellingham and Foden can't play together - does the manager have a point?

Having secured six victories in six games, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, 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 - struggle to perform in the same team.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.

"They can but not within this system, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

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

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 excellent dribbling, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we view 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 position him as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.