England's star trio are unable to play together - does the manager have a point?
Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.
"Presently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.
"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."
From automatic picks to contested places
England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?
Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that transforms formation when England attack.
Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The wide attackers play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.
Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to support offensive play.
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 operate as the central striker, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.
"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a box-to-box player," 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 number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then enable Bellingham to operate 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 readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.