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Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

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

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

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

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.