England's star trio can't operate simultaneously - is Tuchel right?
Having secured six victories in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.
Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.
"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.
"They can but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."
From guaranteed positions to competitive roles
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
The previous England manager certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that transforms formation when England attack.
The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.
Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.
Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could play as the number nine, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.
Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.
That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.
Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.
