'kane, Bellingham And Foden Can't Play Together' - Is Tuchel Right?

With six wins retired of six, nary goals conceded and a World Cup spot secured pinch 2 group games to spare, England head Thomas Tuchel tin reason he has sewage each of his large qualifying decisions correct.

However, successful nan build-up to Thursday's location crippled against Serbia, he sparked a statement erstwhile he said that 3 of nan country's champion players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play successful nan aforesaid team.

He told Talksport: "At nan moment, if we support nan structure, they cannot play.

"They tin but not successful nan structure, not for nan equilibrium that we developed and not for nan building that comes besides pinch wingers who are for illustration specialists successful their positions. We play astatine nan infinitesimal pinch a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

With Arsenal's Declan Rice and Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson sparkling successful midfield successful nan number six and 8 positions respectively and skipper Kane a definite starter arsenic centre-forward astatine nine, nan statement centres astir who will play successful nan attacking midfield domiciled of number 10.

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers has played each 8 England matches nether Tuchel and impressed arsenic a number 10 erstwhile Real Madrid's Bellingham was unavailable because of enarthrosis surgery, while Chelsea's Cole Palmer, Everton's Jack Grealish and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White will besides want nan role.

But Tuchel has warned that not each of them will beryllium successful nan squad for adjacent summer's World Cup successful nan US, Canada and Mexico.

"I spot a very, very debased percent that we return 5 number 10s into a tournament. I don't spot really this will thief us," he said.

"We will ever do what's champion for equilibrium and we will effort to support nan clarity, moreover if that intends we person to return reliable decisions."

Foden and Bellingham person been utilized successful wide positions for England successful nan past, but Tuchel's selections propose Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, who is connected indebtedness astatine Barcelona, and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka are his first choices connected nan near and correct flank respectively, pinch Newcastle's Anthony Gordon, Arsenal's Eberechi Eze and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen adjacent successful line.

So tin Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate surely thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started each of England's 7 games astatine Euro 2024 successful Germany, wherever Southgate's broadside mislaid to Spain successful nan final.

In nan 16 games nan trio person played alongside each other, England person won 10, drawn 3 and mislaid three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14. Of those 36 goals, Kane scored 14, Bellingham 3 and Foden two.

However, since Tuchel came in, nan only clip each 3 person played together was successful nan opening 74 minutes of his first game. Foden was substituted astatine 1-0 successful a 2-0 triumph complete Albania.

Tuchel is not nan first England head to person to juggle his broadside astir to fresh nan champion players in, pinch Sven-Goran Eriksson perpetually trying to find nan correct equilibrium successful midfield.

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes won nan Champions League during their careers successful cardinal midfield for Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United respectively from nan precocious 1990s to early 2010s.

They are regarded arsenic 3 of England's champion midfielders, pinch Gerrard winning 114 caps, Lampard 106 and Scholes 66. However, they played successful nan aforesaid England broadside only 8 times, pinch Scholes often moved to nan near to accommodate Gerrard and Lampard successful nan middle.

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 strategy that changes style erstwhile England attack.

Rogers has been nan main number 10 because of his beardown ball-carrying, ball-striking and expertise to onslaught nan container erstwhile nan striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken astir preferring master wingers. Saka and Gordon play retired wide play and tin clasp nan shot well, return their full-back on, and get successful nan container to score.

Behind this beforehand four, Tuchel plays pinch a midfield 2 consisting of 1 defensively strict subordinate and 1 pinch much licence to lend to nan attack.

Tuchel apt sees Bellingham arsenic a number 10, aiming to utilise him successful nan aforesaid measurement he has utilized Rogers, hoping to get bully shot progression, hold-up play and goals.

On Foden's positional versatility, Tuchel said that because he tin play arsenic a 9 aliases 10, "it gives him an advantage to compete for some positions".

Interestingly, this would put him successful contention pinch some Bellingham and Kane.

Foden won nan Premier League playing arsenic a mendacious 9 successful 2020-21 and registered 27 goals and 12 assists successful a very attacking domiciled successful 2023-24.

Given Kane's roaming mentation of nan striker role, utilizing Foden successful this measurement is little outlandish than it whitethorn first sound.

Foden and Bellingham would beryllium competing pinch Palmer, Rogers and Eze for nan number 10 role, pinch Kane apt to commencement up front.

Foden could play arsenic nan number nine, which successful mentation could let some Bellingham and Foden to play astatine Kane's expense.

There is 1 measurement each 3 could play successful this strategy and Tuchel hinted astatine it this week.

"For Man City, he plays almost for illustration a number 8 aliases 10, truthful possibly during nan adjacent months we see him arsenic a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized successful a much all-purpose midfield domiciled this season.

That has allowed him to return work deeper and could make him an action arsenic nan number eight, adjacent to a much protect number six.

This would past let Bellingham to play arsenic nan number 10 and Kane arsenic nan nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to group England up for illustration this astatine nan World Cup, what bodes good is his willingness to time off large players retired successful nan sanction of balance.