Kane, Bellingham and Foden are unable to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?

With six wins in six games, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

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

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

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

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively 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 allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could categorize him as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.