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Having secured six victories from six matches, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured simultaneously, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that transforms formation when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

Foden could play as the main forward, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

"At Manchester City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.