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With six wins in six games, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

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

"They can but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

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

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

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

In the 16 matches the three have featured simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and been defeated three times, 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.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could operate as the central striker, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so potentially in future 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 categorize him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the striker.

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.