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With six wins in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion 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 maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"They might but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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 impressive ball progression, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"With his club, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.