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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - 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.

"They might but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that the Barcelona loanee and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

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 excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane expected to lead up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we regard 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 position him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.