England's star trio struggle to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.
Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.
"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.
"They can but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we established and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."
From certain starters to fighting for spots
England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.
In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.
Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions
Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.
Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, 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 support offensive play.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could play as the number nine, 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 hinted at it this week.
"For Man City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we regard him as a number eight," he said.
Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.
That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the nine.
No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.
