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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match 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 stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played together, England have triumphed 10 times, drawn three and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"With his club, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a box-to-box player," 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 number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.