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Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 games the stars have performed alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the number nine, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"For Man City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we view him as a number eight," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.