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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions 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.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we established and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

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

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. 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.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like 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 position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.