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With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment 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 the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

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 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom 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 attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the central striker, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.