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After achieving six consecutive triumphs out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we established and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license 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 feature as the main forward, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could position him as the number eight, 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 chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.