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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we created and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have won 10, drawn three and lost three, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we view 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 central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.