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Having secured six victories from six matches, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

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

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.