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Having secured six victories from six matches, zero goals allowed and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he raised questions when he stated that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

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

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections imply that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the key creative force because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

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

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so maybe during the next months we consider 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 advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the number 10 and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.