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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have won 10, tied three matches and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

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

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

There is a potential solution 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 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 categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.