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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They might but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

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

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, 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 permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 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 readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.