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Kane, Bellingham and Foden struggle to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?
With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.
"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.
"They can but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."
From certain starters to fighting for spots
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.
So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
The previous England manager apparently believed they could.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games 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 together, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.
Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives
Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.
Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.
Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.
Foden could feature as the main forward, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.
"With his club, he plays almost like a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we consider 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 allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the striker.
Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.
Brian Hernandez
A passionate writer and shopping enthusiast with a keen eye for quality products and lifestyle trends.
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