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Having secured six victories in six games, no goals conceded and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the identical lineup.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not within this system, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest 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 certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

Morgan Rogers has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

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

Foden could play as the central striker, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a central midfielder," 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 position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.