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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the build-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 - cannot play in the identical lineup.

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

"They might but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we view him as a box-to-box player," 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 enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.