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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

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

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon 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 support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"With his club, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.