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Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

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

"It's possible but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that alters structure when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

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

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

"With his club, he functions as a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.