Kane, Bellingham and Foden can't play together - does the manager have a point?
Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.
"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.
"They might but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."
From guaranteed positions to competitive roles
The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.
So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.
In the 16 matches the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.
Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options
Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.
Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.
Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could feature as the number nine, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.
There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.
"At Manchester City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view him as a central midfielder," he said.
Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.
That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.
This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.
No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.
