England's star trio struggle to operate simultaneously - is Tuchel right?

Having secured six victories in six games, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-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 equivalent formation.

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

"It's possible but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if 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 interest of team harmony.