Three Lions' top talents are unable to operate simultaneously - does the manager have a point?
With six wins from six matches, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.
Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.
"Currently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.
"It's possible but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we created and not in this formation that comes also with 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 indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.
The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?
Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible.
Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.
In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.
Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions
Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that transforms formation when England attack.
Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.
Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.
In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.
So how could Tuchel use these three players?
Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.
Foden could play 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 alluded to it this week.
"For Man City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider 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 position him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.
This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.
Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.