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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 might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Presently, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we established and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

Foden and Bellingham have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his impressive ball progression, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of one defensively strict player and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, 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 hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard 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, next to a more defensive number six.

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

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 name of balance.