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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for 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 - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not for the balance that we established and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices imply that the Barcelona loanee and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and lost three, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

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

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

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.