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With six wins in six games, an unbreached defense and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for 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 - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the central striker, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 categorize him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

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 name of balance.