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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and tournament placement assured before the final rounds, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the build-up to 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 - cannot play in the identical lineup.

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

"It's possible but not in the structure, not for the balance that we created and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

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

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

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

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

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so perhaps in coming months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.