Kane, Bellingham and Foden can't play together - is Tuchel right?

England football stars
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been essential components for England over the recent half-decade

With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.
"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that transforms formation when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers play out wide weekly 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 one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months 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 allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.

Amy Garcia
Amy Garcia

A seasoned engineer with over a decade of experience in software development and a passion for mentoring aspiring tech professionals.