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Having secured six victories out of six, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"They can but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment 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 his team selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

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

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed simultaneously, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. Saka and Gordon regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we regard 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 categorize him as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.