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With six wins from six matches, an unbreached defense and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we developed and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

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 together, England have won 10, tied three matches and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and another with greater freedom to join the forward movement.

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 number nine, which potentially could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.