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With six wins from six matches, zero goals allowed and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion 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.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, tied three matches and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future 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 make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.