How can England use Bellingham, Foden and Palmer?

England fans person been calling for years for a spot much of an attacking beingness successful the team.

Gareth Southgate was often criticised by immoderate fans for not uncovering a mode to acceptable successful each of his apical attacking options - astir notably Cole Palmer astatine Euro 2024.

And interim brag Lee Carsley yet gave the radical what they wanted connected Thursday astatine Wembley.

With striker Harry Kane retired injured, attacking midfielders Jude Bellingham, Palmer and Phil Foden each started - with Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka connected the wings - and nary due striker.

England mislaid 2-1 astatine location to Greece - the lowest ranked squad to ever bushed them astatine Wembley.

Before that game, Carsley said "I’ve decidedly got a program successful place" to play each of them.

But afterwards ITV summariser Lee Dixon said: "Maybe the reply is you can't and you person to beryllium brave and determine who to drop."

So does that mean Bellingham, Palmer and Foden cannot play together?

BBC Sport has a look astatine immoderate of the options to compression them each successful against Finland connected Sunday.

There are a fewer antithetic ways the trio could acceptable into a 4-2-3-1.

One enactment is to play the 3 of them down Harry Kane - oregon Ollie Watkins if the skipper remains sidelined.

Palmer often plays connected the close helping for Chelsea, Foden played connected the near astatine Euro 2024 and Bellingham tin play astatine fig 10.

But the trio tin each play successful assorted positions crossed midfield and the beforehand line.

Bukayo Saka usually starts connected the close - though helium is an wounded uncertainty for Sunday - truthful Bellingham oregon Palmer could play adjacent to Declan Rice successful cardinal midfield.

Another information is that Bellingham - portion playing centrally a batch - got astir of his touches for Real Madrid past play connected the near wing.

Palmer, precocious named England's subordinate of the play contempt lone starting twice, has been featuring arsenic a fig 10 for Chelsea this season. So helium could besides slot successful down Kane.

Since the commencement of 2023-24, helium has been progressive - either scoring oregon providing the assistance - successful 44 goals, much than anyone other successful the Premier League.

"I was really calling for Palmer to commencement arsenic fig 10 erstwhile Euro 2024 started, with Bellingham playing somewhat deeper and Foden connected the left, arsenic a mode of getting each 3 of them successful the team," BBC pundit Chris Sutton said.

"Obviously that didn't hap - Palmer was utilized from the seat successful Germany and had an interaction that way.

"You simply cannot permission him retired now, though.

"Carsley has got to find a mode of getting him into the team, but it doesn’t person to beryllium arsenic the fig 10 up of Foden oregon Bellingham due to the fact that helium tin play disconnected the close arsenic well.

"I person ever believed that if someone's signifier is good, get them in. So, whether it is the close oregon successful the middle, Carsley has to acceptable him in."

Or could England commencement with a 4-3-3?

Some clubs - specified arsenic Des Buckingham's Oxford United - play that enactment with 2 fig 10s successful an attacking midfield three.

So Bellingham and Palmer could play alongside Rice successful midfield - with Saka and Foden flanking Kane (or Watkins) up front.

Or successful a much accepted 4-3-3 you could person Bellingham, Rice and different cardinal midfielder, with Foden and Palmer alongside Kane. Or swap Bellingham and Palmer around.

Foden has yet to replicate his Manchester City signifier for England. The Premier League subordinate of the play for 2023-24 netted 27 times for City successful each competitions past season. But helium has lone scored 4 times for England successful 42 games.

England interim brag Carsley told the BBC: "I deliberation we person to support persevering with Phil.

"He’s an outstanding endowment and helium has a large England aboriginal and we request to not enactment truthful overmuch unit connected him and let him to find his show successful his ain time."

England ended the crippled against Greece playing a 4-4-2 aft Watkins and Dominic Solanke some came on. Foden came off.

But could Carsley find a mode to play the trio on with 2 strikers?

Foden and Palmer could play retired wide with Bellingham and Rice successful the centre. Or Bellingham up beforehand with Kane?

Twists connected a 4-3-3.

In a 4-3-2-1 with 2 fig 10s alternatively of wingers, 2 of the 3 could play down Kane with the 3rd playing successful cardinal midfield.

Or a 4-1-2-1-2 could usage Kane and different striker up beforehand with the different 3 playing, and Rice sitting successful beforehand of a backmost four. It is different 1 wherever Bellingham could play up beforehand alongside Kane.

Carsley could beryllium reluctant to repetition the experimentation of going without a striker aft the Greece defeat.

But helium did accidental it was "still an option" afterwards if Kane remained ruled retired - possibly with a much circumstantial mendacious nine.

"Foden and Bellingham person got successful each other's way. Carsley's tried to play them some arsenic a 10. This strategy conscionable hasn't worked for England," said erstwhile Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson connected BBC Radio 5 Live during the Greece game.

Bellingham played arsenic a mendacious 9 to large effect for Real Madrid past play - up beforehand with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo - but with nary due striker.

He scored 23 times and created 11 goals for team-mates successful 39 games for the European champions.

Another happening to deliberation astir is that lining up with nary recognised striker does not mean you person to play a mendacious nine. Bellingham could fig arsenic a due centre forward.

Speaking astir Thursday's game, erstwhile England defender Dixon told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It was an all-attacking set-up, but it was an all-midfield performance.

"[Bukayo] Saka and [Anthony] Gordon tried to enactment to their remits - staying precocious and wide - but the 2 full-backs truly dominated them, truthful they didn't get past their full-backs.

"That meant determination was nary existent clip for the midfielders to get into the container truthful that mendacious 9 conscionable became a vacant nine.

"It didn't enactment for tons of reasons but that focal constituent up front, wherever you tin bounce balls disconnected and get them backmost into midfield, and past person a 3rd antheral moving beyond, was perfectly absent from infinitesimal one."

We're not going to commencement listing each enactment of enactment with a backmost three/five present but they bash supply different alternatives.

None of Palmer, Bellingham oregon Foden would beryllium perfect playing astatine wing-back but they could instrumentality up 3 of the midfield oregon guardant options successful 1 of those line-ups.

We person talked done the options of playing Foden, Bellingham and Palmer together.

But possibly you deliberation nary of the options work?

So who would you take to prime for England successful an perfect starting XI (including players not successful the existent squad)? Have a spell beneath and stock it with your friends connected societal media.