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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

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 the manager's choices indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

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

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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 impressive ball progression, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.