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

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the equivalent formation.

"At the moment, if we maintain the formation, they cannot play.

"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections indicate that the Barcelona loanee and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, drawn three and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The young midfielder has been the key creative force because of his excellent dribbling, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the number eight, next to a more defensive number six.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.