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

Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed 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.

Yet, in the build-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 - are unable to feature in the same team.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections 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 games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured together, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The wide attackers play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

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

"With his club, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of 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.