Three Lions' top talents struggle to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.
"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.
"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we developed and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."
From automatic picks to contested places
Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.
But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.
In the 16 games the stars have performed alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.
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 primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.
Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.
Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.
Foden could feature as the number nine, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"For Man City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.
Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.
That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the striker.
No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.
