Three Lions' top talents struggle to fit in the same lineup - does the manager have a point?
With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.
Nevertheless, in the preparation for 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 - are unable to feature in the same team.
"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.
"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."
From automatic picks to contested places
England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?
Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.
In the 16 games the stars have performed simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.
Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.
Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.
In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to contribute to the attack.
Potential configurations for England's stars
Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.
Foden could operate as the main forward, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.
"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.
Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.
That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.
This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the striker.
No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.