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Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

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

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

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 Tuchel's selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas 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 fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and lost three, scoring 36 times and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

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

What solutions exist for the trio?

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

Foden could operate as the main forward, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.