Kane, Bellingham and Foden can't play together - does the manager have a point?
Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.
"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.
"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."
From automatic picks to contested places
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.
But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.
In the 16 games the trio have played simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and lost three, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.
Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions
Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.
In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence 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 attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.
Foden could operate as the central striker, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view 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 categorize him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.
This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the nine.
No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.
