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Having secured six victories in six games, zero goals allowed and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest 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 stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

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

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 national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system 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 skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"With his club, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, 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 enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.