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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement secured with two group games to spare, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he stated that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we created and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and conceding 14.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

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 number nine, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"With his club, he operates similarly to a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a central midfielder," 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 central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.