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Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"They might but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played simultaneously, England have won 10, drawn three and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, 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 one with more license to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.