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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate 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 keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Manchester United forward and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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 impressive ball progression, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot 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 vying against attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

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

"At Manchester City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas 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.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.