England's star trio are unable to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?

With six wins from six matches, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he said 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 maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not in the structure, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

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

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

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.