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Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the build-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 equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

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

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.