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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we developed and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

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 suggest that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, challenge defenders, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

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 play as the central striker, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the central midfielder, 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 chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.