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Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we established and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

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

In the 16 matches the trio have played simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead 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.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we view 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 make him an option as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.