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After achieving six consecutive triumphs out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

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

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

From automatic picks to contested places

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 Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured together, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the attacking midfield position, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could operate as the main forward, which in theory could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position 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 striker.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.