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With six wins in six games, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

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

"They can but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we established and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

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

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured together, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

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 primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.