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Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we established and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

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

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals 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 primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.