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Having secured six victories from six matches, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

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

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.