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With six wins in six games, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They might but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

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 Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, 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 other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he plays almost like a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider 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 categorize him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.