Thomas Tuchel still searching for a solution to Gareth Southgate's big England problem | OneFootball

Tuchel admits he doesn’t yet have an answer to the question of how best to harness the talent of Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden

Thomas Tuchel is only three games into life as England manager, but already his problems feel similar to that of his predecessor.

Tuchel got a taste of that following Saturday’s drab 1-0 win over Andorra and it has left him with a question that, so far, he has not be able to answer.

Why do England not get the Cole Palmer who has been starring at Chelsea? Or the Real Madrid version of Jude Bellingham? Or the Phil Foden that lit up the Premier League with Manchester City two seasons ago?

“That’s the question that needs to be answered,” said Tuchel. “It is a fair question.”

Can Tuchel get the best out of Chelsea star Cole Palmer?

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It not surprising that Tuchel does not yet have the answers, given he has had just there matches and 11 training sessions as England manager.

Tuesday’s friendly with Senegal offers a chance to experiment, although the solution of simply playing all the attacking players together seems an unlikely one.

Lee Carsley tried that in October during his spell as interim boss. Bellingham, Foden and Palmer all started when England suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley.

“I think we need to get the balance right,” said Tuchel. “We need to get the organisation right, and we need to get the players right together - that they just feel it naturally and that it’s easy, that it comes easy for them to connect.”

The frustration for Tuchel is what he sees in training is not yet translating to the pitch.

“I see us train with a smile, but not play with a smile,” he said on Monday.

How Tuchel changes that feels like one of his biggest challenges ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Tuchel tried using Palmer and Bellingham as twin No10s against Andorra and chemistry was lacking

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He has explained how it is “difficult to prescribe freedom”, but England’s attack feels desperately in need of a healthy dose of it.

At least Tuchel is not short on options and the competition for the No10 spot in his team is even greater than it was under Southgate.

Tuchel wants to play with wingers who are “high and aggressive and wide”, which diminishes the prospect of Foden or Palmer playing on the flanks.

Instead the likes of Bukayo Saka, who should make his first start for England since October, will be used out wide.

It means Bellingham, Foden and Palmer are all essentially fighting it out for one position - and that is before you consider the likes of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers.

Foden was left out of this squad, so Bellingham or Palmer should get a start as the No10 against Senegal, unless Tuchel opts to deploy Morgan Gibbs-White in an advanced role.

Palmer struggled against Andorra in what was his first appearance under Tuchel and it will be intriguing to see if he gets the nod again.

“Do we have all the answers at the moment? No,” said Tuchel. “It’s also not necessary to have all the answers now.

“We’re figuring it out, we’re taking everything into account. It’s on us, it’s on me to find the right balance, to find the right connections - like who loves to play with each other, who has a genuine connection, who takes care of each other.

“And then, it is on us also to find the right balance between structure and freedom. We will do this on the job, we will do it in the camps, we will do it in World Cup qualifiers and we will not stop doing it until we find the right mixture.”

The worry for England is that they seemingly have a lot of ground to make up when it comes to closing the gap on their rivals before the World Cup.

Tuchel and the squad watched Sunday’s Nations League final between Spain and Portugal, which followed on from two pulsating semi-finals earlier in the week with France and Germany.

The quartet of teams looked much further ahead in their development than England, especially going forward, but Tuchel believes part of that is down to context.

He does not want England to develop an inferiority complex because he believes that his side will raise their level when facing tougher opponents.

“We will rise to the occasion by the occasion, because it is very difficult,” said Tuchel. “This will come.

“It will bring out the very best in us. We shall not develop a complex because there is no need for it.

“We have what it takes to compete. We need to improve, for sure. We have not clicked yet.”