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Having secured six victories in six games, zero goals allowed and World Cup qualification secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

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

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we established and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

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

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed simultaneously, England have won 10, shared points three times and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that alters structure when England attack.

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

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The wide attackers 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 utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," 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 make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

No matter whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the global tournament, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.