Three Lions' top talents are unable to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.
Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.
"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.
"They might but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we established and not within the framework 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 deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.
But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final.
In the 16 games the three have featured together, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that alters structure when England attack.
Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.
Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.
Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to support offensive play.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could play as the number nine, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.
"With his club, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 make him an option as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.
Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.
