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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 could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the identical lineup.

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

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

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

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played together, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that transforms formation when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been used in a more all-purpose midfield role this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the name of balance.