🔗 Share this article Kane, Bellingham and Foden can't play together - what's the verdict? Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been key players for England over the recent half-decade With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices. Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team. "At the moment, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together. "They can but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker." From certain starters to fighting for spots The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively. So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup? Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible. Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final. In the 16 matches the trio have played together, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and conceding 14. Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack. The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats. Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score. Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two 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 battling with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front. Foden could play as the number nine, which in theory could allow 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 number eight or 10, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said. Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season. That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor. This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the striker. Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.