🔗 Share this article Kane, Bellingham and Foden are unable to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point? Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been key players for England over the recent half-decade Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct. Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup. "Currently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play. "They can but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions." From certain starters to fighting for spots Foden and Bellingham 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 left and right flank respectively. The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together? The previous England manager certainly thought so. Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final. In the 16 matches the three have featured together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14. Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that transforms formation when England attack. The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats. Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score. In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement. So how could Tuchel use these three players? Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front. Foden could feature as the central striker, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense. There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week. "For Man City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, 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 permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six. This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward. Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.