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With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the identical lineup.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They might but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we established and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured together, England have won 10, tied three matches and lost three, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to 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 deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

No matter whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.