Three Lions' top talents are unable to play together - does the manager have a point?
With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.
"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.
"They can but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."
From automatic picks to contested places
Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.
But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?
Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every 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 games the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, drawn three and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.
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 primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.
Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.
What solutions exist for the trio?
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.
Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.
There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.
"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months 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 enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.
This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.
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 interest of team harmony.