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Having secured six victories out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions 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.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"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 specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

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

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played together, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and suffered three losses, 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.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.