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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he claimed that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts 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 deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss 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 were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

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 key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

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

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he functions as 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 used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

Irrespective of 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.