England's star trio struggle to fit in the same lineup - is Tuchel right?

England football stars
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden have been crucial figures for England over the recent half-decade

Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.
"It's possible but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured simultaneously, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a box-to-box or creative role, 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 position him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.

Kyle Sanchez
Kyle Sanchez

A seasoned gaming journalist and esports commentator with over a decade of experience covering global tournaments and industry trends.

September 2026 Blog Roll

Popular Post