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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he said 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 won't fit together.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we established and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

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

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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 strong ball-carrying, strike quality and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers play out wide weekly and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"With his club, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we view him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could make him an option as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

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

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 interest of team harmony.