Three Lions' top talents struggle to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.
Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.
"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.
"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."
From guaranteed positions to competitive roles
Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.
So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.
In the 16 matches the trio have played alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.
The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.
Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.
In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot 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 vying against other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could operate as the main forward, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.
"At Manchester City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we regard 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 categorize him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the striker.
Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.