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Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

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

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the trio have played simultaneously, England have won 10, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that alters structure when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.