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Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not in the structure, not for the balance that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

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

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.