🔗 Share this article

With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the trio have played simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

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

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," 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 position him as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

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

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.